Codename: Fox
by Gabrielle Leonhart
Summary: A deeply complex story involving Zaibach's half of the story. Clarifies Dilandau's past, and also adds a new character into the fray.
1. Default Chapter

She raced around the corner on her green bicycle; the tires making a dark skid mark and the brakes squealing as she managed to turn around completely. She was beginning to panic internally because she was already about ten minutes late for school. The bus was late that morning.  
  
She had stopped off at her friend's house that morning to pick up her bike. Since her friend had gone on the way to school long before her unless she was late, Fox had picked up her bike by herself. She eventually pulled up to the school and leapt lightly off of the bicycle seat even while it was still moving. She unwrapped the red chain lock and entered the combination faster than normal and then ran off across the long green campus to the East building.   
  
She hurtled towards her locker, twisted the dial to the correct number configuration and wrenched the door open. She threw her backpack into her locker, but not before she had gotten out her tennis racket. It was block G first that morning, which meant she had to go to the gymnasium with the other girls to do a tennis lesson. She had come already in her gym strip, as her regular clothes were in her backpack.   
  
She was dressed in grey sweatpants, which had two white lines running down either leg. They were soft on the inside and she loved them. She had a black shirt on that bore the image of a fox, which was her favorite animal and the animal she took her name from.  
  
"Hey, Fox!" Shouted a familiar voice from down the hallway. She twisted her head just in time to see a girl running up to her. "Oh, hello." Fox replied. It was her friend Michiko. She was in a different class than her, and had left the class on a bathroom break. "I had better get going back to class or the teacher will be upset." Michiko said. "Bye, Fox." She added, and she padded off down the hallway.  
  
Fox wasn't even her real name. It was just a nickname she had earned the year before at a different school. She still went by it, because she was used to being called the name by her friends and equals. She sighed and blew a piece of hair out of her eyes and walked down the hall in a miserable mood. She wouldn't be let into the gym now, because she was so late. Not even with the note her mother had written her.   
  
She walked down the staircases, in no hurry now. She had to walk across the campus again, to the West building, where her gym class was situated. She swung the tennis racket on her shoulder and it bounced there as she walked. She blew at that stubborn piece of hair again; It always got out of place. She looked to the sky as she often did. It was blue and grey, as usual on a day like then.   
  
"What's that?" She absently asked herself as a spot in the sky grew apparent to her vision. The sky had been a normal azure blue, but now it had a spot growing in it. Rather, it wasn't growing in the sky, it was growing in the air just in front of her!  
  
She stopped dead in her tracks, dumbly watching the spot fester and grow in front of her. It made a metallic echoing noise, and it took her a second to realize that the spot itself wasn't making the noise, it was coming from within it. With no other option for her own protection, she lifted up the tennis racket and brandished the handle.   
  
All of a sudden, the spot exploded open in front of her, and then she saw the most confusing and weirdest thing. The spot appeared to have been a hole in the very fabric of space, and it opened up like a wall in front of her, displaying a forest with a dark purple sky and a metallic, hydraulic noise emanating from deep within the forest, fast approaching.  
  
She backed up, away from the noise, but the fear and confusion inside her was bubbling up and beginning to paralyze her limbs, like thick molasses rolling into a mold. Eventually, she couldn't even back up anymore, and she just clutched the tennis racket so tightly that it made her knuckles white. She couldn't move; She couldn't even blink. She stood like a stone statue in gym strip, watching the spot in the trees just ahead that she predicted whatever was making that noise would come out.   
  
The noise grew louder, it's hydraulic echoing booming across the forest. Eventually, the trees shivered and then fell down in front of her. They lay flat, crushed by seemingly nothing, fifty metres from where she stood, mutely holding the tennis racket still. There was an indentation in the flattened trees that looked like it was a massive footprint. That's impossible! Nothing stepped there to make it, and nothing's been that big in over sixty-five million years! This is insane! Her mind screamed at her.  
  
She examined the spot of air just above the footprint. The air bent, like a twisted fun-house mirror gone hideously wrong. Her jaw dropped. She knew this kind of thing. She'd seen it before in her favorite television show and in sci-fi movies. It was an invisibility cloak that worked by somehow bending rays of light. It only made an object fully invisible if it remained stationary. Any movement would betray that something was there.   
  
The curved light shimmered and then disappeared, revealing something red and black like paint washing over. It was hard and looked to her like metal. She finally could control her head and she looked up, following the leg up that joined the body of the massive mechanical suit. Somehow, she knew the pilot was situated in the chest cavity of the massive thing, the chest cavity with doors that closed forward into a point, with bars across it so that the pilot could see out of it as well as his visualization screens contained within the cockpit.  
  
"Well, well, what have we got here, Chesta?" Asked a voice that came from the cockpit of the suit. Apparently, the voice was speaking to the other mecha suit, which appeared closely behind the first. The other one was similar, but some of the parts were a little different and the colour was blue, not red. She looked frightened, and looked behind her.  
  
Her schoolyard had disappeared. There was no East or West building. There was no campus. There was only a wall of strange, tall, spidery trees and a rippling purple sky. She tensed her muscles and brandished the racket again. This was too strange.   
  
"I believe we've found another human. What should we do with her, my Lord?" Asked the other voice, with a tone of great respect. The first voice was silent for a moment, weighing his options. "Well, we could kill her now," He suggested. Fox growled in a low voice so that the ... thing inside the mecha suit didn't hear her.  
  
"How dare you think you can simply decide my fate right in front of me? Go ahead, step on me with that fantastic tin can of yours, go ahead!" She shouted back, and spread her arms in an open gesture. "I'm ready to die!" She shouted again. This bluff had better work, She thought worriedly. I hope I know what I'm doing.   
  
The two voices were absolutely silent, presumably in stunned shock. "... Or, my Lord, we could bring her back to Zaibach for some fun." The one that was presumably named Chesta finally spoke up. "What!?" Came the reply. "Sir, not that kind of fun, sir! I mean, Lord, we could take her back and make her a soldier. It would be fun to watch her fail." He finished. "Hmmm." Contemplated the other voice. She was dead silent.  
  
"Very well, Chesta. We'll take her back with us. 'Com the base, tell them we've got a guest, will you?" The one inside the red suit said. "Yes sir, my Lord, sir." Chesta's reply was instant. Both of the suits were unnaturally quiet. Fox could feel their eyes upon her.   
  
There was a mechanical whine and the expellation of pressure from hydraulic valves, and the cockpit cage door of the red mecha opened slowly. A slim boy emerged, about her age, fifteen or so. He was dressed in a uniform type regalia, at the joints, a black leather catsuit was visible, and red armour adorned him. He had a tiara of sorts about his forehead, which had a purple jewel that rested simply in the centre of it. His hair was silver, and his skin pale, and it led Fox to believe the boy was probably an albino.  
  
"Where are you from?" He asked her slowly, as if he thought she didn't comprehend his language. "I... don't know. I was at my school, and then... I was here." She replied rapidly. He blinked. "Oh good. So you do understand us." He replied simply, and looked slightly confused. It was hard to read the boy's emotions, as he kept his face as expressionless as possible. But, a slight flicker of recognition and confusement passed over his face. "You wear odd clothes. You must be from further East... Asturia, perhaps. Or maybe you're from where the White Dragon is." He suggested, half to himself.  
  
"My Lord, do you think she is fit enough to be a soldier? She is a girl." Chesta announced behind him. "Don't be a dolt. Of course she is fit enough. Look at her. She's thin, yet her build seems to be strong. She could take some punishment. She looks like she is fast, or at least could be. She's tall... And she's also... Well, let's take her back. Have you 'Commed the base yet?" He asked. Chesta replied that he had.  
  
Chesta saluted, bowed, and then he turned on his heel and went back to his mecha suit. The tall, slim boy turned back to Fox. "What is your name?" He asked her. She didn't feel like giving him her real name. "My name is Fox." She replied, and hastily added, "Sir." The boy smiled at this. "You learn quickly. Good. Is that your real name?" He asked her. "No... It's my nickname..." She said. "Sir!" He smiled again. "What's your real name?" He asked.  
  
"My real name is Gabrielle, sir." She replied. "Gab-ri-elle," He sounded out. He spoke with a Japanese accent, even though he was clearly Caucasian. "Gabrielle. I like that. Well, you're going to be a soldier, and I'll be teaching you how to fight and fly." He explained. "Your codename will be... Fox. Since that's your nickname." He added. "Can you... Fight?" He asked slyly. "Yes sir. I can fight using a sword, sir." She replied. "Well, how's this then," He stated, and he drew his sword. "Wha-what are you doing? I'm unarmed!" She axclaimed. He cocked his head. "No. You have that... Thing... In your hand." He replied, and took a swing at her.  
  
She blocked it with the tennis racket, and was relieved to see that he was only using the flat of his blade. If he'd used the edge, it would have sliced clean through her racket. He pushed his weight on the sword, attempting to drive her backwards. She thought rapidly about what to do, then looked to the left. She then leapt to the right, rolling onto the ground and back up on the other side of him, striking him in the calf of his boot. She then lifted the racket again to block the blow she knew was going to come, and then, quick and sly as a fox, she kicked one of his knees, making him kneel. She then swung the racket through the air with a flourish, making it stop harmlessly at the back of his neck.  
  
"Not bad. Speed's good. Predictable though. Resourceful however." He announced. "Chesta! Shall we go?" He called up to the pilot who was watching from the open doors of the mech. "Yessir," He replied, and flipped monkey-like into the cockpit.  
  
The boy turned to her again. He studied her hard. "Are you sure I don't know you? You seem so oddly familiar," He said, breaking the silence. "You seem familiar as well. But I don't think I've met you before." She said. He changed the topic. Obviously he didn't like talking about things he didn't understand. Understandable. She laughed at herself. Something that is not understandable is. She thought. "You'll be flying in my mech back to the Floating Fortress."He said, and she nodded.  
  
She stepped up to the thing. It was designed very well. It had smooth edges for aerodynamic capabilities and also looked intimidating. She looked all the way up, then back at the leg of the thing. 'Alseides' read small writing etched into the metal plate. Why does that sound so familiar? She asked herself. This is all so strange, yet so familiar. Like I've been here before.  
  
She didn't have time to think about it further. "Go up." The boy said, gesturing to the thing. She looked at the massive height. She loved heights, when she was inside something, like a plane. It was the climbing onto something with the risk of falling off that made her shiver. The metal was well polished and looked slick. "Ladies first," He said with a smirk. She took a deep breath and gripped the metal, pulling herself up onto the leg joint, advancing steadily.  
  
The problem came when she got to the Alseides' hip mechanism. She looked down. "Nnnn..." She groaned as she looked down. The ground had never looked harder. She swallowed. "Climb further, you're almost there!" He shouted from below. The fact that he had to shout for her to hear him frightened her further. Her muscles froze. She was locked in place. He watched her not move for a moment, then advanced towards the giant mecha suit. He climbed up easily, with no hassle at all. He was right above her, sitting on the metal rim that jutted out from the leg joint. "The secret is not to look down. Eventually, you don't even realize you're up high." He said in an assuring voice. It was the first time she'd heard him betray just the slightest flicker of emotion in his voice. He was trying to be comforting, but all it did was make it worse. "I can't move." She announced. He crossed his arms. "Yes you can. Come on." He retorted. She shrank away from him, shy at his snapping tone, and she slipped on the slick red metal. She yelped. Her hands scrabbled to get a better grip, but she couldn't and then gravity realized she was hanging there in the air unattended and made her drop, making her hit the ground all fifty feet below.  
  
Dilandau slid down the mech and picked her up off the ground. He held her with one arm and ascended the Alseides again. He couldn't help thinking she was cute, but he mentally slapped himself. I am not supposed to think those sort of things. He lectured himself, but he thought it anyways. He opened the cockpit doors, and he looked for a place to put her. The cockpit was fairly compact, designed to carry one person, the steering, navigational systems and other things like that. He looked at the chair. There was a spot next to it, and it looked just big enough that if he folded her up like a sleeping child he could fit her in beside him.  
  
He did just that and then sat in the pilot seat. He 'Commed Chesta and then initiated the launch, and flew up into the air, spiralling and changing directory for Zaibach Empire's Floating Fortress.  
  
Gabrielle awoke a while later in a bed somewhere. She didn't open her eyes for a moment, and prayed that she'd be at home in the morning. There was sunlight shining on her face; She could feel it. Yet, something was wrong about it. It just didn't seem quite right to her. She opened her silvery blue eyes and almost began to panic. She had hoped that it had all been just a strange dream, but it wasn't. It was quite real.  
  
She was in a room that was a little dark, and one window. the window was fairly large, and she looked out of it. All she could see was sky. She sat up, but found that she was almost nude. Her ribs and top chest were tightly bandaged, and she was in her underpants, her left leg bandaged as well.  
  
She pulled the covers up to her chin and tried to fold her legs up to her chin also, but cried out in pain when they touched her chest. She fell back upon the bed, tears stinging her eyes. It hurt to breathe. She did not cry, but she wanted to. There was a knock at the the door. "Miss, is everything all right?" Asked a feminine voice. Gabrielle couldn't even reply. The doorknob turned, and a slim woman of medium height entered the room.  
  
"You have four broken ribs, miss. Your ankle was badly sprained. With our treatments, your bone should heal quite rapidly and be better in a matter of hours. Until then, you should rest." She said and smiled. "Do you want something to eat?" She asked. Gabrielle was famished, but she didn't know if she could sit up to eat. "I'm hungry, but I don't know if I can sit up." She said. "Well, just wait a little while. You should be able to sit up soon." The nurse assured her.   
  
Gabrielle sighed and looked up at the wall. Why wasn't she surprised and shocked that she was in a different world? Why wasn't she weirded out completely? And why did that boy look so familiar? These and a million other questions flicked through her head.  
  
She stared up at the crack in the ceiling. It looked like a dragon with outspread wings. A land dragon, because that one has smaller wings than the dragons built for the air. She wondered how she knew that. "Do you need anything to help you sleep?" The nurse asked her.  
  
"No," She replied almost automatically. "I'm fine." She said, and the nurse smiled. "As usual," The nurse said and smiled. "What do you mean by that?" Gabrielle asked her. "Oh? Nothing." She replied. "Just press the button next to you if you need anything." The nurse said and turned to go.  
  
Gabrielle felt as if her ribs would splay open and her chest burst every time she took in a breath. She said nothing. She didn't want to cause a problem and further more of a hindrance to everybody. She stared back at the crack in the ceiling, and she eventually found herself slipping asleep again...  
  
She dreamt that she woke up and found someone at the foot of her bed. She looked closer. It wasn't a someone at all. It was a something. It opened its elongated, red scaly snout with serrated teeth. It's yellow eyes glowed and flashed, and its tongue formed out the word-  
  
"Gabrielle." Said a familiar voice. She was still half asleep. The voice sounded distant and somewhat distorted; As if she were hearing it through a distance in a fog.  
  
"Nnn...?" She muttered. She felt as if she were slowly rising out of the warm mist, her mind slowly returning to the surface. A sharp pain brought her all the way there with a sudden start. She screamed due to the pain. It was her ribs again; They had been touched. She had never been one to have a high threshold for physical pain. She could bear the mental pain better.  
  
Her eyes snapped open. Nearly faster than the eye could follow, the nerve sent a jerking impulse to her spinal cord. It responded, and the reflex fired, charged with a sudden barrage of adrenaline dosage. She backhanded the person who'd hurt her, sending the person back several steps. She immediately clutched her hand and stared at it dumbly, her jaw open. She hadn't meant to have done that. It had just... happened.  
  
"O-oh, my God, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to do that, it just happened and I don't know how or why! I am so sorry!" She was shocked at herself. She hadn't hit a single person in her entire life. She continued stammering apologies; She couldn't even look up and see who it was that she'd hit, she was so incredibly embarassed. Eventually the person silenced her. She shyly looked up, still holding her own hand like it was an evil pet.  
  
It was the tall, slim boy who'd appeared in the forest. He had a large red mark on his pale face. He didn't even touch it, or even acknowledge that it was there. "I startled you." He said simply. "I was fixing the bandage. The nurse was busy with another patient." He said monotonously. "I apologize." He said, and she got the feeling he hardly ever apologized for anything he ever did.  
  
"I came to check on you, and to inform you that once your injuries have healed substantially, you are to become a member of my squadron. You have to get a uniform and weapons. Once you have gotten those things, you are to go to the Launch Bay at level one for your first flight lesson." He explained curtly. "By the way, my name is Dilandau." He added, in a tone that suggested it was a trivial thing.  
  
He looked to his left, and then his right, and then he completed a short bow. He turned on his heel and left, his boots making a clicking noise on the hard polished floor. She watched him until he was out of the room. She noticed that the light outside was getting dimmer. She was ravenously hungry, and had a longing to get out of the bed.  
  
The nurse walked in just a moment after Dilandau had left. She had her eyes on the hallway as she walked in. She put her hand to her mouth and giggled slightly. "He must like you," She said, behind a concealed smile. "He's never so polite to anyone." She continued. "Well, except of course to the High Master himself, but everyone's polite to him. If he wasn't, the High master would have Dilandau sent back, so..." She trailed off. "Well. Yes. Back to duty!" She finished in a sing-song voice.  
  
They were both silent. "You know, he came to check on you twice while you were still asleep." She said after a moment. "Really?" Gabrielle asked, a little bit interested. "Yes, he said he had 'orders' to. That's obviously a lie because he only takes orders directly from the High Master, and nobody else." The nurse smiled. "Like I said, he must like you." She added. Gabrielle was silent. "He doesn't even know me," Gabrielle finally said.  
  
"Sure he does," Said the nurse, confused. "Um, okay." Replied Gabrielle, her gaze turning towards the fading window's light. She didn't like questioning things she didn't understand. The nurse obviously had her confused with someone else. The nurse finally spoke. "He watched you sleep," She said casually. She said it as casually as if she'd said 'Water is wet.' "What?" Asked Gabrielle. The nurse repeated it. "For how long?" She asked. "Oh, I don't know. Only a moment or so. I had to leave the room to attend to another patient, and he told me your bandage was loose. I checked it quickly and I said he could tighten it, because I had to go." She explained. "So he did, I guess, and you screamed. I heard a slap, and I figured you must have slapped him because he'd hurt you. He must have made it too tight by accident. Your pain should be gone now." She added.  
  
The nurse was right. Gabrielle could breathe without a problem or any pain. "Where... Do I get clothes?" She asked the nurse. "Um, let me check. Where are you going to go? Do you know which group?" The nurse asked. Gabrielle blinked. "I don't know the exact name... But whichever one Dilandau is in charge of," She said. The nurse nodded. "Okay, did he specify which rank?" She asked. "Um, no." Gabrielle replied. "You'll take a blue." The nurse said. Gabrielle was confused. "Excuse me?" She asked.  
  
"Blue. In colour. You'll need to get measured, of course and get the right size." The nurse said. "I'll send for someone. Hold on." She said, and the nurse left the room. Gabrielle looked at the bandage on her leg. She set to work undoing the knot and unwrapping the bandage. The pain had almost disappeared completely.   
  
In a few minutes, a boy in a blue and black suit came towards her, the outfit was similar to Dilandau's, except this boy's was blue, not red. He asked her to stand up, and she did as she was told. He asked her to open her arms and hold them out to her side, and she did it without question. The boy withdrew a stick that must have been one unit of standard measurement in their world. He bent down and placed the stick pointing up from the floor.   
  
He touched where the stick ended with his finger, and placed the beginning of the stick where it had ended before. He repeated the process several times. "Okay," Said the boy. "You'll take a medium, then. Please, follow me." He bade, and she reluctantly took a step forward. She cleared her throat. He half turned, and he saw her predicament. She obviously had to walk through halls with people in them, and she was clad only in bandages and her underwear. A faint blush line appeared across the bridge of his nose, but he showed no other sign. "I see." He said.  
  
He told her to wait there for a minute, and then he turned the corner, only to return a moment later with her old school bag. She remembered she had taken it with her to the gym. He placed it near her and turned around, standing stiff as a board, looking without emotion to his front at the closed door.  
  
She rooted through the bag. It contained her new package of batteries, her portable CD player and several CD's, as well as her regular clothes. She gladly pulled on her favourite pants. They were soft denim, and very baggy, with several pockets. The material inside them was soft. The inside right leg was ripped just a little from when she tried out her first boyfriend's bike and the gear chains had sliced open a hole in them. She didn't care, she loved her pants anyways. She pulled out her blue cowl necksleeveless shirt, and put that overtop of her, once she'd undone the bandages. She always had kept a sports bra in her bag in case something happened to her regular. She snatched her denim hat from her bag. She loved that hat, almost as much as the pants. They were the same kind of shade of blue. She tapped the boy on his shoulder to acknowledge the fact that she was ready to him. He nodded, and he started to walk down the halls.   
  
She stayed close behind him, as the hallways were unfamiliar, and dark to her. They walked along many corridors, and she got quite a few stares. She found it odd that there weren't many females in the ... Wherever she was. She was eventually ushered into a room, and she was passed a pile of neatly folded clothes. They were all black and blue. She was then pointed in the direction of a changeroom, which she promptly used.  
  
The clothes had knee high boots, which were blue, and they had a spike at the top. There were very tight black pants that clung to the smooth curvatures of her shape quite nicely, and there was a cloak that melded into a shirt at the top, with a collar that fitted high on the neck. She had shoulder guards, forearm guards, wrist guards, everything. She found it comfortable to move in, and quite flexible.  
  
She stepped out of the changeroom shyly, and stood in front of the boy who'd led her there. He was blushing strongly. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked fearfully, and the boy shook his head convulsively, not breaking her gaze. "P-please. The ... Rest of the squad is waiting for us. Um, my name is Migel." The boy finished.   
  
"Okay. Thanks, Migel." She said, and smiled very softly. "Mmm-hm. Y-you're welcome." Migel replied. He stepped in front of her again and led her down yet another hall. Am I really that strange looking? Do I have a second head or something? She wondered, almost sarcastic. "This way," He said, his voice returning to it's usual flat tone. They approached the room where the rest of the group was waiting for them. "Oh, by the way, the squadron is called 'The Dragonslayers.'" Migel said just before he knocked on the door. "Yes, sir." She said. "Oh, you're my equal, so just call me Migel. None of that formal stuff, unless you are speaking to Lord Dilandau himself. You must address him with a term of respect." He informed her, and then his knuckles rapped on the door.  
  
They waited in silence for the space of one second. The doors flew open, revealing Dilandau standing at the doors, with his hands on the handles. He gave a poisonous look to Migel. "You're late." He hissed. Migel bowed.  
  
"Apologies, Lord Dilandau. I was called in to fetch the new recruit." Migel responded in a soft tone that couldn't possibly have hidden any kind of disrespect to Dilandau at all. At the words 'new recruit' the rest of the group looked up. They all looked behind Migel, but Gabrielle was not visible to them just yet. "Fine." Dilandau replied in a dangerous tone. She could tell only idiots with deathwishes ventured to make Dilandau angry.   
  
Migel stepped into the room, bowed again, and stepped to the left, revealing Gabrielle. The now bright light from the corridor made a golden glow on the shining metal and plastic and on the leather of her clothes. Her gaze dropped to the floor when Dilandau looked at her.  
  
He barked an order to the Dragonslayers and they hustled to assemble in a line. Gabrielle tried to sneak into the line with them, but with a sudden movement, Dilandau caught her wrist and pulled her back to stand with him. He did it in such a way that it was firm, but didn't hurt her. She knew he could have easily, had he wanted to. He moved a single step and stood beside her.  
  
"This is Gabrielle, but you will all call her 'Fox,' on the battlefield. Is that clear?" He snapped. Silence flowed around in the room. "Good!" He exclaimed. "I am assuming she has never flown a mecha suit, and she probably has little or no battle experience. Don't set the simulators so high that they will gut her like a fish." He continued in clipped speech. "Two of you will come with Gabrielle and I to the hangar to select a practise mecha for her. I want the two best mecha fliers to come with us. The ones left will obey the one with the highest rank amongst you. You will either practise fight, or train." He continued with a stiff, 'no-nonsense' tone.   
  
He turned his head to Gabrielle. "You have already met Migel," He said in a different tone that was the smallest bit less harsh. "Next to him is Dalet, then Gatti, Chesta, and Guimel." He said, pointing to each boy as he said their corresponding name. "Chesta and Migel will come with us, and we'll teach you how to fly." He said flatly.  
  
"Yes, sir." She said quietly. The last thing she wanted to do was get this boy angry. Chesta, the boy who had been with Dilandau when they had found her, stepped forwards. He saluted, and stood at the ready. "Awaiting orders, sir." He said. Migel stepped forwards and did the same. 


	2. Chapter 1

The hangar was a massive room, and she figured it was about a kilometre long and wide. It had mecha suits of all sizes in it, many shapes, with different appendages and weapons. They were organized row upon row upon row, each mecha with a plate on it's docking bay that read the name of the pilot that flew it. She followed the three closely, and they eventually stopped in front of a long row of mecha suits.  
  
"Choose one." Dilandau said to her, and she looked back up to the massive metal monstrosities. "You can make customizations to it later, once it's been chosen and registered." He continued. She nodded. "Yes, sir." She acknowledged and looked to her left. There was one that caught her eye. She started down the hallway after it.  
  
"Lord, do you think it wise to let a girl into our squad and get a mecha on the first day? A new mecha?" Migel asked. Dilandau's body went rigid with rage. "You dare to challenge my authority and judgement?" He practically screeched, and Gabrielle whipped around just in time to see Dilandau land a punch on Migel's face.   
  
A hand flew up to her mouth, and she ran back to where they were. Migel's eyes rolled up inside his head, and he swayed a few times before his legs gave out. She caught him before he hit the floor. He was heavier than her, and his sudden weight caused her to stumble. Migel was unconscious, and she made sure he was still breathing. His nose started to bleed a little. She looked up at Dilandau, standing tall above them, casting a shadow down on her.  
  
"... Aren't you going to do something about him?" She asked. "Sir?" She added hastily. She looked up at him, standing so high above her. The very bottom of his left eye twitched. "N- Yesss..." He hissed. "Chesta... Go take Migel to the medic." he said slowly, keeping his fiery gaze locked on hers. "Sir?" Chesta asked, confused. "You heard perfectly crystalline what I said! Go take Migel to the medic! Now!" He barked. "I'll teach her how to fly myself!" He growled. " Chimps. I am working with chimps! If you want anything done correctly, do it yourself..." He muttered under his breath.  
  
"Migel," She said quietly to him. His eyes flickered, then opened. "You're going to the medic." She said just as quiet. She knew his head would be ringing like anything after a blow like that. Dilandau's eye twitched again. Not from suppressed anger, but from a suppressed expression of confusement. Her actions seemed so familiar... The way she moved, the sound of her voice... Everything...  
  
Chesta leaned down and helped Migel to his feet, casting Migel's arm around his shoulder. He hobbled off with Migel, supporting as much weight as he could. Wow... Thought Chesta. That was amazing. The way she spoke to him like that... And lived. I wonder if Dilandau is growing soft for her... Chesta wondered. Oh, I highly doubt it. It's probably just the fact that you're not supposed to hit girls... I don't know... He thought as he dragged Migel off.  
  
Dilandau looked back at the girl. He couldn't believe himself. Why hadn't he struck her? What had held him back? Something deep inside him had told him not to hurt her. Rather, protect her. He studied her, and her beautiful blue eyes looked back at the floor. He looked at the colours of them. On the edges of the irises, they were very dark blue, like an ocean. The dark blue lightened as it drew closer to the pupil. There were some lines of silver that looked like lightning bolts going through her irises. He ripped himself away from staring at this mysterious girl.  
  
"Choose you mecha suit. I need to check the operating systems and make sure they function." He said monotonously. "Yes, sir." She replied again, and turned smoothly from him and walked back down the row of mechs, looking for the one she had seen a moment before. After a long time of walking, she stopped in front of one. He followed her, and arrived there in half the time it had taken her to reach the same spot.  
  
She was looking at the new model, the Red Dragon. It had been based off of the White Dragon that they were trying to capture, and furnished with the highest technology available. It looked just the same as the White Dragon, but this one was red and black, and lacked the option of transforming into the humanoid form that the other suits were capable of. He looked at the description panel. It had razor-tight controls, it was equipped with an invisiblility cloak, and it could reach speeds in the air of over eight hundred kilometres per hour. It's running speed was clocked at a speedy eighty five.   
  
He followed her gaze up to the thing's 'face.' It had red jeweled eyes that gave the pilot a crystal clear view of what the head saw, as well as numerous more vision screens on the interior. From what he read on the panel, the pilot could control the mecha from either the interior or exterior.  
  
"Put your hand up to the panel at the front of the mecha and stand very still." He instructed. "If the mecha turns on, this is the right mecha for you." He finished. He looked up at the head again, it's red eyes devoid of light, it's long neck bent in a smooth curvature... Like her body... He mentally slapped himself again.  
  
She stepped on the floor up to the panel, the dark, quiet room echoing with her footprints. The panel glowed, and characters in a very strange writing system beeped and came online as she drew closer. She put her hand over the panel, over the drawn picture of one, and placed down her hand. Both of them watched.  
  
There was a low metallic whine. The mecha's red eyes glowed a hot red, and the neck uncurved and moved downwards, towards Gabrielle. For a horrible moment, she thought that machine was going to open it's jaws and swallow her, but it stopped with a hydraulic hiss in front of her.  
  
"Okay, now walk up to it's chest and place your hand on the crystal there." He said. She looked back at him, and then walked up cautiously to the crystal. It was large and blue.  
  
"When was this made, Lord Dilandau?" She asked him. He referred back to the description panel. "Orange, ninth moon." He replied. "Why do you ask?" She raised her hand up. "... What's the month's number?" She asked curiously. She of course didn't recognize 'Orange' as a month. "Ten." He replied slowly. He must have thought she was an idiot. "This was made on my birthday!" She exclaimed as she placed her hand on the blue crystal on the red dragon's chest. "It was made at six hours and forty five minutes before sunrise." He continued. She was stunned. That was her exact time of birth!   
  
Her hand sunk into the blue crystal like it had the density of water. It rippled around her hand as she held it in. She yelped. "Keep it in the crystal. It's reading you to make sure you really are right." He assured her, and surprised even himself in the gentle tone he said it in.  
  
The massive metal head of the dragon lifted it's head back to the curved position, and it's eyes glowed even brighter. Gabrielle caught her breath at the sharp pain, and then the crystal ejected her hand from the crystal as it hardened. The appearance was the same, except it had a red pool at the base of the crystal. Gabrielle's blood. She clutched her hand. The palm was cut open, and she was bleeding quite a lot.   
  
Her breath caught in her throat, and she stared wide eyed at it. The cut was gushing blood, and there wasn't anything she could do. A computerized female voice rang from the dragon mecha.  
  
Libreia online. Registered pilot's serial number 68372. Please input username and password. Standby. It said. Gabrielle's head was beginning to feel light. Dilandau turned his head back to her, as he hadn't been watching. He'd been watching the door for Chesta's return. He looked once, and turned around on his heel.   
  
She was holding her wrist, trying to slow the flow of blood by squeezing it and elevating it. Dilandau stood in front of her and he touched her hand to get a better look. All of a sudden, he saw an image in his head. It was of Gabrielle, but a long time ago... Too late, it was gone. He felt the strangest sensation on his back near his shoulderblades. It was a tight feeling that he couldn't really explain. His eyes widened and he backed off from her. Something drew him back to her, and he almost involuntarily snatched her hand again.  
  
He didn't know how he did it, but the bleeding stopped on her hand. The cut was still there, but it was sealing over rapidly. He watched it dumbly. The strange feeling in his back intensified, but it died down quickly. There were clicking footsteps outside, and the door opened. Chesta walked in, and he saw Dilandau holding Gabrielle's hand. "W-what's going on?" He wondered out loud to himself. He looked at the floor, and saw there was blood. She looked shocked, and he couldn't see Dilandau's face. He cut her!? Chesta screamed inside his mind. Now he's gone too far! He shouldn't be trying to kill people in his own regiment!  
  
"Dilandau!" Chesta yelled. Dilandau didn't hear him. A high pitched noise in his head had taken over all auditory input. Chesta took it as a sign of his malice. "Hey!" He yelled, and dashed in between Gabrielle and Dilandau, Chesta withdrawing his sword. "Now you've gone too far! You shouldn't hurt her, you... You.... Crazy idiot!" Chesta screamed, and put up a defensive posture around Gabrielle. Dilandau was stunned.  
  
"What... Did you... Just call me?" He managed, trying to control himself from reaching out and snapping Chesta's neck. "You filthy ingrate!" Dilandau yelled, and smacked him. Chesta winced. "You! I give you a mech! I pull you off of the streets! I helped you! How dare you!?" He raised his voice, and it took everything he had in him not to just kick him.   
  
"No, how dare you hurt her! She did nothing to you!" Chesta roared back. "Ooh, your audacity! I did nothing to her, either! If you will strip a few layers off of your incredibly thick skull and save yourself from jumping to conclusions, you will notice that I was helping her, you delusional fool!" He snapped, and Chesta blinked. "You idiot!" He snarled at Chesta. "I should just-" He began, and Gabrielle interjected.  
  
"Woah! Guys, the mecha cut me, relax. I don't know how he did it, but Lord Dilandau stopped the bleeding and fixed the wound." She said rapidly, and Chesta blushed. "I-I-I Oh no. How can I explain this... I thought you had cut her hand, Lord Dilandau, I apologize, I jumped to conclusions! It'll never happen again, sir!" Chesta stammered, and Dilandau ground his teeth and clenched his fists. "Never, ever, ever speak that way to me again, or I will personally kill you!" Dilandau snapped, and raised his arm to hit Chesta again. Gabrielle gripped it. "Please, forgive me, Lord Dilandau, but please, don't hit Chesta. Please." She begged him. His gaze whipped around to stare her in those pretty blue eyes again. His tense arm relaxed. "Fine..." He growled. "But just this once. I have a flight lesson to teach." He hissed.  
  
"Why didn't he hit you, Gabrielle?" Chesta asked her when Dilandau was a few metres ahead of them. Chesta trying to say it in a low voice so that Dilandau couldn't hear. "I didn't hit her, Chesta, because I do not hit angels that fall from the skies." He spat. The colour drained from Chesta's face. "I'm sorry, Lord, I was only curious as to why you hadn't-" He began. "Don't question me on that subject. Never ask me about that. There is not an answer that you need to know." He menaced, and then was silent. "Gabrielle, enter in your username on the computer interface," He said, suddenly calm.  
  
"What computer interface?" She asked him, and hastily added, "My Lord." Dilandau looked back at the description. "Oh. There isn't one. It's voice control. Walk up and talk to it," He told her, and so she stepped up to it. The mech's eyes glowed. Please enter username and password. Visual unit recognition: Registered Pilot number 68372. The computer's female voice spoke.   
  
She didn't know the correct command response. "Say, 'Registered Pilot number 68372 imprinting user name...' And then say what you want it to be." Chesta whispered to her. Gabrielle nodded.  
  
"Registered Pilot number 68372 imprinting user name 'Gabrielle Leonhart.'" She said in a bold voice. The name sent chills down Dilandau's spine. He knew the name! But where? It was driving him crazy! Not that I have far to go there...He thought in his mind. "Password set as ... " She paused, thinking of a good password. She thought of the first word that came to her mind. "'Canada.'" She said, and the computer responded. Username and password set. Short term of username 'Gabrielle Leonhart'? It asked. She knew what to say. "Yes. Short term of username is 'Fox.'" Username and password verified. Thank-you. Libreia on standby.  
  
"Okay, now you have to go in it." Chesta told her. "Libreia, requesting access. Password 'Canada.'" She said. Access granted. Chimed the voice, and she stepped up almost instinctively to the thing's chest, where the doors opened with a hiss.  
  
She felt at home in the cockpit. There was a computer screen with a keyboard, a comfortable chair, several buttons, switches and dials, and a steering mechanism. She rapidly typed a command in the computer and four screens appeared. They were a view of outside, but different ones used heat recognition, infrared, and night vision. "Cool!" She exclaimed.   
  
Outside the mech, Chesta turned to Dilandau. "Lord, don't you find it... Strange... That she knows how to operate this already?" He asked. "I find a lot strange about her. I find I know her from somewhere, but... Nevermind. I'm not going to talk about that." He said quickly. "She fell from the sky, so there obviously is something different about her... Yet familiar." He trailed off, unwittingly voicing his thoughts aloud. Chesta pretended to pay no notice.  
  
"Fox, do you know what you're doing?" Chesta called out. "Um, yes and no!" She shouted back, and she laughed. "Primary functions online." She announced. They could hear her fiddling around with the gears and switches, finding out what weapons and gadgets the massive thing had on it.  
  
"Nice!! This thing's got five different flamethrowers! Awesome! ... It also has ... Plasma radiation beams? O-kay... Laser beams, invisibility cloak! Um... Woah! Big enough sword? What the hell are liquid metal claws?" She looked through the system.  
  
"Chesta, stay here. I'm going to get the mechas. We're going to take her flying." Dilandau said calmly. Chesta saluted to him, and stood watching her. Gabrielle had discovered the controls for the head, and she moved the dragons' face nose to nose with Chesta. "Hello." She said through the dragon's head. Chesta took a small step back. "Relax, I'm just speaking through the dragon. The voice doesn't sound too tinny, does it?" Chesta shook his head. "No, it sounds like you're inside the thing's mouth." He replied. The dragon opened it's jaw.  
  
"It's the 'Libreia,' not 'thing.' She has a name." She said through it, trying to sound polite. The jaw shut. "Know what's weird?" She asked. "What's weird?" He asked her back. "I can control this thing mostly with my mind. I just sit in the chair, and two gauntlet thingies go over my wrists and ankles and then I control it. It's like I am a dragon. It's quite odd. But I like it!" She exclaimed through it.   
  
She raised one massive dragon's arm up almost to the ceiling, and the claws opened. Out of the palm of it's hand, a massive curved blade emerged. She made it withdraw, and interchange back to the dragon's normal paw-like hand. "Watch out, Chesta. I'm turning around," She announced, and she made the mecha place the two claws on the ground to heave herself forward. The Libreia swung around, and she was careful to maneuver the tail out of Chesta's way.  
  
The mecha began to walk on all fours, and she followed where she had seen Dilandau go and turn the corner. She saw him all the way down the hall, and she walked a little faster. She then stopped directly in front of him, who was just activating his and Chesta's mecha suits.  
  
"Destruction mode." She said, mimicking perfectly the computer's voice. Dilandau whipped around to see her lift the dragon's arm and see the scythe blade emerge from it's hand. "Target acquired." "Ah! Gabrielle, stop the damned thing!" "Auditory input systems offline. Primary functions offline. Autopilot mode online." She said, still mimicking the computer's flat, explanatory voice. The blade swung forward at lightning speed, and Dilandau turned to run from it. The blade blocked him. He heard her laughter from inside the dragon.  
  
"Squadron commander Dilandau identified as extremely gullible." She said between the laughter. "That's not funny." He said flatly. She laughed harder. He crossed his arms. He imagined how stupid he must have looked, and he controlled a small smile that was threatening to display some emotion. Her laughter died down, and she cleared her throat. "Don't do that again." He said, surprisingly still calm. "I'm sorry, Lord Dilandau. I couldn't resist. I must work on my self-discipline." She replied. He left it at that.  
  
He activated the two mechas, and he climbed up into the red one she had seen earlier. A small bleep a few seconds later told her it was online. Chesta walked up from underneath her, and he climbed up into the blue one next to Dilandau's. They started a heavy walk in one direction, and she followed them. She noticed that her mecha sounded a lot lighter than them when it walked. The hydraulic noises coming from the Libreia were quieter, also. She was impressed by their mechas, however. They looked heavily armoured, and she could see that the red one had a variety of weapons on it at Dilandau's disposal. Chesta's looked similar, but his weapons centred more on blades than anything else.  
  
She followed them to the launch bay, and she waited while Dilandau conversed with one of the operators. A moment later, there was a rumble as the door lifted away, revealing the open sky, thousands of feet in the air. They both walked up fearlessly to the edge, and Chesta waited for Dilandau to jump first. 


	3. Chapter 2

The legs in the mecha snapped up as it fell, and an engine glowed at the bottom of the mech, stablilizing it and making it hover in the air. The arms retracted halfway, and several metal platings rearranged and became more streamlined. The mecha flew back up and hovered in front of the door, giving ample room for Chesta to do the same thing. She swallowed. She walked right up to the edge of the launch bay and looked down through the dragon's eyes.   
  
There were clouds far below them, and sometimes when they moved, she could see a city or mountains below. She backed up from the edge. "What's she doing, my Lord?" Chesta asked Dilandau. "Just wait and see," He answered. There was a rumble above them, as they had sunk lower to allow room for her to jump off. Her mecha was longer than theirs, and also had a wider wingspan. The floor above them shook, and then a red and black thing propelled itself off of the edge.  
  
It fell for a few hundred feet, and they watched it. "Why won't this thing's wings open!?" A panicked voice came over their radios. She was entering commands in the computer, flipping the corresponding switches and opening channels, pressing buttons and pulling up on the steering. "Flight mode, activate!" She screamed at it. In her panic, she tried flapping her arms, since they controlled the Libreia's arms, maybe it would transfer to control the wings. All the mech did was look like one of those cartoon birds who couldn't fly, maniacally flapping it's arms. Okay, panicking won't get me anywhere! Let me see... She looked over the panel again. Quickly, as the thing was rapidly gaining speed as it fell.  
  
She gripped the steering thing. She pulled up, and focused mentally on the wings opening from the back of the mecha. When that didn't work, she opened her eyes. "Libreia, exterior flight control." She commanded. Acknowledged. The computer said, and she felt herself propelled up through an open door, and she gripped the 'reins' that shot out of it's back before she started to fall backwards. She looked back up to sky, and saw that Dilandau had been diving after her fall.   
  
The wings opened with a snap, and her stomach felt like it climbed to her throat. She felt pressed down by the sudden gravity, and then she returned to normal. She pulled on the reins up and to the left, and the Libreia swung up diagonally in the direction she had specified. The mecha spiralled a few times whilst going up, and she thought she might be sick. "Libreia!" She shouted at it.  
  
Yes, Commander Fox? It replied. "Run a systems diagnostic on the interior flight control!" She commanded it. Systems diagnostics imply that the interior flight control has not been activated. Would you like to activate it? It asked. "Yes!" She answered, and then she felt herself being sucked back into the mecha suit, and she landed in the seat.  
  
The metal control gauntlets attached themselves to her wrists and ankles again. Grip steering pad. It instructed her, and she snatched it, pulling up. This time, the mecha did as it was told. She found that the steering was very much like those flight simulator video games she had played before she'd come into this world. In fact, it bore such a startling resemblance that she immediately felt she knew how to operate it.  
  
The steering pad looked almost like that of a car's, except there was not a full circular bar going around the entire perimeter of it. There was the normal pad in the middle, and then two curved bars on either side of the pad. It worked just like that of a plane's steering. If one pulled up on the wheel, the nose went up, and vice versa. The pushing or pulling controlled the nose's altitude, while the turning of the pad controlled the direction.  
  
"Okay, I get this system now. God, that scared me. I thought I was going to plummet all the way down and die." She said through the radios. " I thought so, too. Now that you've got control, we want to see if you can track us. Think of it as a kind of game. Both of us have our invisibility cloaks on, and we're flying around. See if you can catch us." Dilandau responded.  
  
She thought for a moment, and then she remembered a science lesson she'd had in Grade Eight. The teacher had said that the section of light that was visible to humans was actually very small. On the red side of the colour spectrum, there was infrared, and on the opposite, the violet side, it went to ultraviolet rays, which proceeded to gamma rays. She remembered that infrared operated on a different wavelength than visible light did.  
  
She couldn't type on the computer pad, because she had to concentrate on her steering. "Libreia, display infrared screen." She commanded. Acknowledged. The computer responded.   
  
The vision worked on a sort of headband. It went around her eyes, like a 'Jordy LaForge' type thing from Star Trek. It displayed a panoramic screen of the view outside. The sky turned from normal blue to shades of red, and she turned her head to look all over the sky. She saw one, far up above her. She couldn't tell if it was the blue or the red one just yet, but she could see it. She pretended she hadn't yet, and flew straight up, diagonal to it, to get above it. She watched it move in a zig-zag fashion, to her left. She continued climbing in the sky, and when the pilot had regained his confidence that he hadn't been seen, she swung upside-down and flipped over, changing her trajectory to the mecha.   
  
He realized he'd been spotted, and he dropped straight down, making patterns in the air. She followed these easily; She was used to things moving erratically like that on her video games. As she drew closer to the mecha, she noticed by it's darker shade of red that it was Chesta's mecha. She drew up right above it, and the Libreia's claws came down, latching onto the other mecha's back. "Gotcha!" She cried. "Damn. Oh well. I guess I should tell you; Dilandau's using an invisibility cloak that can't be seen by infrared." He explained.  
  
"You fool! You shouldn't have told her!" Dilandau's voice came on the radio. She unlatched the Libreia's claws from the blue mecha's back. "Libreia, track last position of radio frequency emission." She said. Last radio frequency emission from the Alseides was directly to your left. Libreia responded. "Thanks." She said.  
She tried heat-seeking vision, night vision, and ultra-violet vision, but she still couldn't see Dilandau. She made tight circles in the sky, concentrating on finding where he was. She suddenly had the feeling to grab, so she released the Libreia's claws that instant, and they latched onto metal. "Got you too, Lord Dilandau." She said, and he released the invisibility cloak.  
  
"How the hell did you see me?" he asked her, totally shocked. "It's... Very difficult to explain, my Lord." She replied. "I'm listening," He replied, insistantly. I... You'll think I'm insane..." She said. "Gabrielle, it can't sound that crazy, because I'm insane myself! Or, at least everyone says so behind my back... I want to know how you caught me." He insisted. "Alright. I had a vision. That's how I saw you, Lord Dilandau." She blurted. The line was silent.   
  
"Well, it's not unheard of." Chesta said, trying to make her not feel so awkward. "You mean to say, you closed your eyes and you saw where I was?" Dilandau asked. "Basically, yes. I've never told anyone else that I can do that. Please, don't tell anyone that I can. They'll say I'm a freak. Please, my Lord, don't tell anyone. Chesta, you won't tell, will you?" She begged. "No, of course I won't tell." He responded. Dilandau was silent for a moment.   
  
"It's our little secret." Dilandau said, hating the fact that he knew every move and radio broadcast was being monitored. His radio crackled with a message from inside Zaibach.  
  
"Commander Dilandau, we need you. We have new information on the White Dragon." A male voice said. "Alright. I'm coming in." He replied. He knew there was also more than new information on the White Dragon. He didn't want Gabrielle to go and have to visit the Scientists; There was no telling in what they might do. But, unfortunately, the circumstance was beyond his control, and if the Scientists wanted to see her, he could not stop them. He knew that they'd stopped monitoring the radio waves.  
  
"Gabrielle, don't tell them anything, for your sake." He said, and he shut off his radio and landed back in the base. "Chesta, what did he mean by that?" She asked him. "Mean by what? I didn't hear anything." He responded. "Oh, nevermind then. We had best go in now; It's starting to get dark, and I'm tired." She said. "Yeah, me too." He replied, and he flew back to the base. She did a loop in the air to gather speed, and she followed him.  
  
She exited the Libreia, and she followed Chesta. "Um, Chesta," She began. "Yes?" He asked. "Where am I going to sleep?" She asked curiously. "I don't know. You don't have quarters yet, so probably in the same room as one of us for tonight." He explained. "Oh," She said disappointedly. "I was hoping I could get my own room." She said. "Oh, don't worry, you will by tomorrow. You were just registered this morning, so you don't have a room yet. That's all I was saying." Chesta said.   
  
They continued to the room she had been in to first meet the rest of the Dragonslayers. Migel was back, tenderly nursing one side of his face, which was badly bruised. Guimel was playing a game that looked like chess with Dalet, and Gatti was busily writing at a desk in the corner. She shyly said hello to the group of them, and then she walked up to the desk.  
  
"Gatti, can I have a piece of paper?" She asked timidly. "Hn?" He said, snapped out of his concentration. "Sorry, I asked if I could have a piece of paper." She said, and apologized again. "Oh, yeah. Sure. I was just writing poetry, sorry I didn't notice you." He said, and handed her a piece of paper. "Thank you," She said. He looked on the desktop. "Sorry, I don't have another pen. You might ask someone else. They might have one." He said, and smiled softly, and returned back to his poetry. She looked around the room for the bag she'd had, and she found it, placed by a chair. She rooted through it and pulled out her green mechanical pencil and her CD player. She looked around the room for something hard she could use as a table, and she came across a game board that Guimel and Dalet weren't using, and she returned to the chair.  
  
She hooked her earphones around her ears and pressed the play button on the CD player, and picked up the board and pencil. She listened to the David Usher CD as she drew, and she didn't notice the stares of amazed curiosity she got. She eventually looked up, and was embarassed to see all of them looking at her. She was sure she hadn't been singing, so what was the problem? "What?" She asked.   
  
"What's that?" Migel piped up, and then he winced, because he moved his jaw to talk. "It's a CD player." She said, and smiled. She'd forgotten that these people might never have seen a CD player before. "It plays music recordings. It reads them off of discs, like this one," She said, as she flipped open the CD player and took out the disc. She held it up, and almost laughed at their expressions as they watched the light play about on the disc.  
  
"That can't play music! It's just a shiny disc." Guimel said. "Would you like me to prove it?" She asked him. "Come here." She beckoned to him. He stood up and boldly walked forwards. She replaced the CD inside the player, and she showed him how to put on the earphones. He put them on, and she pressed the play button.  
  
"Oh my God, it does play music!" He exclaimed. "That must be a small orchestra!" Said Dalet, and she couldn't help but laugh a little. "There is no orchestra. It's a recording." She explained. "A band records a song, and then a computer writes the music on the disc in a code called 'binary code.' It's a system of numbers.Then, a laser inside the player reads the numbers, and converts them back to sound." She explained. "That's amazing! Can I listen?" Dalet asked, and she told him he could. Eventually, all of them wanted to listen, and she gladly let them. They were all amazed, and she laughed.  
  
"I want a CD player thing in my mecha!" Exclaimed one, and she giggled. She liked the idea, but she didn't think it would work. They'd need to develop the technology. Unless... "Do you have people here who could maybe take this player apart, copy the parts, and put mine back together?" She asked. "Yes," Said Gatti. "I could do it. I like working with machines." He said. "He's right," said Chesta. "He loves messing around with wires and stuff."   
  
"Can you do it without wrecking mine?" She asked him. "If I'm careful," Said Gatti. "If I looked at it, I could probably improve it." He said, and she handed the thing to him. She took out the disc first, and put it back in it's casing. "Here," She said. "Be careful with it, because if it doesn't work when I get it back, I'll be mad." She continued. "No problem." He said, and he stood up from the desk. "I'm going to my quarters. I have a computer there. It'll analyze it for me." Gatti said, and he walked off with it, out the door. 


	4. Chapter 3

She turned back to the board with her pencil and continued to draw. She then realized that the desk was vacant, so she walked over to it and sat down. She looked at the paper that Gatti had been writing. It was written in Japanese. She could read it quite well, but she couldn't understand it.  
  
"I wouldn't read Gatti's poetry if I were you." Said Dalet. "It's romantic. It'll rot out your brain." He said. "I happen to like romantic poetry," She said, a little offended. "It's in Japanese, so it's not like I understand most of it. I can read it, though." She said. "Okay, what's the title say?" He said in a boyish tone.  
  
"Yakusoku Wa Iranai." She read. "Not need promises?" She said, confused. "Oh, that? He's writing a song or something. He says it's too high for him to sing, but he says he's writing it anyways." Guimel explained, and then went back to the chess-like game with Dalet. She gently placed the paper aside, and put down hers and continued to draw.  
  
It was late into the night when Dilandau finally returned to the room. He looked half-dead with exhaustion, and he sat in his chair, not noticing the sleeping girl who'd fallen asleep at the desk just yet. All the others had long since gone to their quarters, and he sat there for a few moments to gather his wits before he went to his. When Gabrielle sneezed, he startled. He looked around the room, and saw her asleep at the desk, her head in her arms. He sighed to himself. Why couldn't one of the others simply have given her someplace to sleep? Now he was going to have to send for an extra bed for her to sleep on. All he wanted was to just go to sleep! He lifted himself from his chair, and walked over to her, tapping her on the shoulder. She didn't wake. Great, this is all I need. A deep sleeper. Joy. He said to himself, and he poked her again.  
  
"Nnn..." She mumbled. "Hey, get up." He said to her. "Gnah?" She said as she opened her eyes. "Go 'way." She said, already half asleep again. He sighed again, and slid his arms underneath her kneejoints and shoulders, and he lifted her up. She stirred, but didn't wake. She lifted her arm and held his shoulder. He took a step forward, and then another, and he slowly walked to the other end of the room, opening the door with his foot. He kicked it wide open so that he could pass through, and he walked down the hallway to the stairs. He was glad he only had to walk down one flight.  
  
He eventually came to the doors of his quarters, and he opened them with one hand, bracing her with the other. He stepped in and shut the door. He stepped forwards and laid her on the bed. He thought of picking her up and putting her on the floor, like he would have done, had she been anyone else. I can't believe this. I'm going to sleep on the floor, aren't I? He thought. He looked at her again. Yes, yes I am. He walked over to the closet door and opened it, taking out the extra blankets he had for the winter.   
  
He spread one on the ground and folded it in half. He put the other on the ground next to where he was going to lie down. He walked over to the next room which served as a bathroom and he fixed himself up before going to bed. He knew he had to stay 'decent' since there was a girl in the room, so he wore his housecoat to bed. He lay on the folded blanket, and pulled the other over him. He reminded himself he had only five hours to sleep, as he had to get up at four. He sighed in his defeat, and he was falling asleep before he even lay his head down.   
  
He awoke in the middle of his sleep, like he usually did, but not from the usual nightmares. It was from a dream that was quickly fading from his grasp. All he knew was that he had dreamt about the past, and she was there. I saw her... In the past... But... Where? He hardly had time to finish his thought before he was asleep again.  
  
At four, his internal clock awoke him, and he cursed it. He had to go and meet the others; No doubt they had been alerted of the mission as well. They had to go searching for that damned White Dragon again. After they got back, he and Gabrielle were to go and see the Scientists. A bitter taste filled the back of his throat, but he knew there wasn't really anything there. If they did something to him, well, that didn't matter. But if they did something to Gabrielle, he was going to kill them. That is, if they didn't strap him to a table and mess with his mind like they usually did.  
  
They always messed with his mind to the point of breaking, and then when he tried to fight them off and get them to stop, they stuck him with needles that made him lethargic and stupid, and then they messed with him some more. He had nightmares about it all the time. He'd gradually accepted the nightmares as part of his life, and so he simply was used to waking up in a cold sweat every two hours of sleep. He got that peculiar feeling that he had to protect Gabrielle again for some reason. He didn't want Gabrielle to end up like him, afraid to have emotions, and so messed up inside that he felt he wasn't truly human anymore. He didn't want that for her. He wanted her to get out of here before they messed her up, too. They knew about her visions, and they'd pumped him full of so much drugs that he told them about it. He felt he'd betrayed her, and he hated himself and the world for making him do it.   
  
He got a strange feeling in his chest when he thought about her, and he didn't know what it was. He had been told ever since he was little that he wasn't supposed to care for other people and that he was bad for doing it. He wanted so much just to be gentle with her, but he didn't know what to do or say. All he knew was that he'd known her before, and that they had made him forget her. He wanted to get his memory back from them. He wanted her to remember him, so he had to get her memory back, too. But how could he do it alone? Maybe there was something that could make him remember... And something that would make her remember, too. He tried to piece everything together; Tried to get just a scrap of memory back. Because he knew, that underneath all of those foggy grey layers of lost memory, there was something. Had he but the key!  
  
He finally stood, and he saw her asleep on his bed. That funny feeling inside his chest grew bigger. He knelt by the bedside, watching her. She was breathing deep and regularly, showing that she was still fast asleep. "I wish I knew what was wrong with me." He said quietly, even though he knew she was a long way away from hearing him. "I wish you could tell me." He lowered his voice to a whisper.   
  
He needed to wake her up. He touched her hand, and he got a flash! It was hot as the sun, and an overwhelming feeling of sadness and despair took him over. That strange pulsing feeling in his back that he'd felt in the hangar came back with a vengeance. It was like the effect of electricity, being in that he couldn't let go. He eventually pulled his hand back, as the feeling in his back and the strange vision was becoming more than he could bear. He stayed kneeling at the bedside.   
  
He finally got up enough courage and touched her again, with one finger, trying to wake her up. The feeling in his back came back, but more more of a dull pounding this time, as if he had a heart in his back. He shook her shoulder. "Gabrielle, wake up. Come on, wake up. We have to go," He said. He shook her again, and she stirred. She opened her blue eyes, and she startled at being so close to someone's face. "Ah!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing? Lord Dilandau?" She asked, pulling herself away from him. "Trying to wake you up," He said. "And please, when we're not around the Dragonslayers, you can just call me Dilandau." He said, and she nodded slowly. "Excuse me," He said. "But I must go get dressed." He said, and she nodded. He tightened his housecoat before he stood, just in case.  
  
She turned around and looked at the wall. He had a very large room, and she was sure she'd never get anything nearly as big or nice as this. The walls were a dark green, with a beige trim at the bottom and the ceiling. He had very few decorations, except for a crystal vase with a rose in it and a wine rack with several bottles. On the small table by the bed, there was a type of light, a glass, and the gold headband thing he always wore. She picked it up, as the small jewel on it intrigued her.  
  
She was careful not to get fingerprints on it, in case he got mad at her. She watched the light play on the polished gold, and the way the light went inside the little jewel. The jewel was a soft lilac colour, and it made the light that touched it go white in wavy patterns. Small minds are amused by small things, She said to herself in her mind, and she smiled.  
  
"Where's my headband?" She heard him ask himself, and without turning around, she swung her arm around, the thing dangling off of her finger. "Thank you." He said, and took it from her. She fiddled with her fingers, crossing and uncrossing them as she sat cross-legged on the bed. She started to sing very quietly a song that was old on her world, but Dilandau had never heard it before. The song was 'Have You Ever' by Brandy. She got to the point where she couldn't remember the words to it anymore without listening to the song, so she trailed off and began to hum the tune instead. She wondered when she'd get her CD player back from Gatti. She wanted to listen to music, but there wasn't anything here she knew of.  
  
"What song is that?" Dilandau asked her. "Oh! Um... It's called 'Have You Ever' by a singer called Brandy." She said. "You know any other songs?" He asked. "Oh, tons." She said. "I like your voice," He complimented, which was strange for him. "Thank you." She said, shyly. "Will you sing again?' He asked her. "Um, well... I don't know I mean-" She started, but he cut her off. "Remember, I'm a higher rank than you, I can order you to sing if I want to."   
  
She smiled and laughed quietly. "What do you want me to sing?" She asked, and then it occurred to her that she probably did know any of the songs he'd want her to sing. "Something you like to sing. Pick something pretty." He said. "What about you? Do you sing?" She asked him. He looked at her. "I sing about as on-key as a dying rooster. I never sing. Now you sing, because you can."  
  
She searched her memory for a song that she knew fully. She could come up with only one at that given moment. It was a song she'd heard long ago in a language she didn't understand, but she'd memorized it as a small child. She began to sing it, and he sat down in a chair, quiet and still as she sang, like the beast calmed by the dove. When she was finished, he sat in silence for a moment.  
  
"Well, you have to get ready, because we're going on a mission to capture the White Dragon." Said Dilandau. "Okay." She said, and she stood and passed him to go into the bathroom.   
  
Something inside him didn't want Gabrielle to come on the mission with him. Part of him was afraid for her safety. He remembered it was his decision to take her back to the base with him. He thought it was the best thing for him to do, because she probably would have died out there in the forest, been eaten by one of the dragons that infested Fanelia's forests, or been captured by the White Dragon himself.  
  
He decided that when the time came for them to chase the White Dragon, he'd send Gabrielle to circle behind them and scout. That way, she'd be safer than if she was in the front lines. He wished she could have learned how to use her weapons properly, but he had confidence that she'd learn quickly. After all, she could successfully fly a mech only three minutes after it had been deployed, and she had deployed it herself! He could, however, not allow her to come... But that would show the others and her that he was afraid for her, and it would make her feel incapable. It would also cause him to be the butt of their little inside jokes for the next while.  
  
The door to the bathroom opened, and Gabrielle's shapely form stepped out, her hair freshly combed and her face washed. "Okay, so what do we do?" She asked in a brave voice. It made his heart ache to think that the Scientists might want to break her spirit as they had done to him. "Just... Follow me." He said, and he stood and went to the door.  
  
In the Dragonslayer's 'lair,' Dilandau briefed them on the situation, and explained, without a note of emotion, that they were to destroy a small town closeby to attract the White Dragon's attention. When he showed up, they were to persue and capture him. Gabrielle was shocked. She had to be responsible for an entire town's death? That could be hundreds of people! He went on to explain that when they returned, whether they failed or not, they were to report back to the room as soon as they had docked.  
  
Gabrielle trudged off towards the hangar, lagging behind the others. Dilandau stopped. "Why aren't you running? You're slowing us down." He said, and if she didn't know better, she would have thought that just maybe, he'd had a note of concern in his voice. "I'm sorry, my Lord. Please, go ahead without me. I just have to get it through my head that I have to kill people today, that's all." She said. She looked back up at him, and she had tears in her eyes. "Do I really have to kill them, Dilandau?" She asked. "Yes, Gabrielle. You really have to kill them." He said. She had watery eyes, but she blinked back her tears and said nothing further. She just kept a blank mask on her face.  
  
He wanted to hold her then, to comfort her, but he held himself back. He just looked back at her as he ran to the hangar with the others. She heard them suit up, and they waited for her, even though she had told them to go without her. She climbed into the Libreia.  
  
Password? The computer asked. "Canada." She replied. Welcome, Fox Leonhart. It replied. She pulled the Libreia out of it's dock, and she proceeded to the end of the line. She watched as the others leapt off of the massive ship, one after the other. Guimel was the last to jump. She jumped off the edge of the bay last. "Interior flight control," She muttered. Acknowledged. The computer replied, and as the mecha thrusted up into the air, and the visual unit enclosed about her head, and before the radio turned on, she said, "Forgive me, O Souls of the Damned." 


	5. Chapter 4

Normally, she would have enjoyed the feeling of being up in the air, but this time she hated every second of it. She hated the way the other Dragonslayers had normal conversations as they flew towards the town they were going to obliterate off the face of the planet.  
  
"How can you possibly speak like that? Do you realize what we are going to do to hundreds of people's lives? Have you no respect? Why are you not silent for those whose lives we are about to take? We are about to descend and rip and rend families apart here! Do you not care?" She spat into the radio, her emotion pure contempt and malice. The casual conversation stopped. They were all silent for the remainder of the journey, save Dilandau, who said one word. "Dive."  
  
All of the mechas dropped, and she gracefully aimed the Libreia's nose down into the clouds. As the pressurized interior made her ears pop, she occasionally winced at the crackling pain. She circled above the town, wishing she could send a warning and an apology to the hapless citizens below.  
  
Dilandau activated the invisibility cloak with Gabrielle's words ringing in his ears. She was going to hurt after this, and there was nothing he could do about it. He was going to have to order her to descend upon the town if she didn't do it herself. He watched her circle in the sky and could almost feel her anguish as she saw the first of the mechas land and begin pulverizing the town.  
  
She flew to the other side of the town, landing gracefully in the streets. "Run!" She yelled through the dragon. "All of you! Please, run! Run for your lives! Run the other way, they're coming!" She yelled. She shifted the mecha's weight, and a small child ran out into the streets filled with pandemonium. She saw the side of a blue mecha crash into a building on purpose; It's massive arms ripping apart the residential building. The small child wailed and cried for it's mother, and looked up at the massive blue statue of doom above him.  
  
She rushed forwards and scooped the child up in the dragon's claws, trying not to step on anybody, which was exceedingly hard. They were milling about like turbo-charged ants, screaming and running from the blue thing and the red and black dragon. She backed the Libreia up, accidentally smashing a building with the long, whiplike tail of the dragon. "No!" She cried in vain. A wall of the house came away, and several people lay dead in the rubble. "Mommy!" The child screamed, and Gabrielle felt her heart being torn into pieces. She had spared the child, but killed his mother. The child wriggled out of the mecha's metal grasp and jumped to the ground.  
  
Just then, another blue mecha crashed through the other side of the building she had damaged. The blue mecha slid in front of her and flipped over from the impact, crushing the small child. Gabrielle screamed so loud she thought her eardrums would burst. "No! No, no, no, no, no!!" She screeched, the tears stinging her eyes. Her whole body shook with anger, and the mecha stood on it's two hind legs and let out a dragon's roar to the sky. Gabrielle held her head in her hands, and the mecha, still under her control, did the same.   
  
More of the Dragonslayers appeared in response to her torn scream, surrounding her. They destroyed things in their way as they made way to her, and she screamed again. She heard voices crackling through the radio, but she was too distraught to make sense of them. All of the sudden, Dilandau's voice came through louder than the others. He yelled across the radio waves, "Everyone except Fox and I return to Zaibach immediately! It's under attack!"   
  
Instantly, five huged engines blasted as the legs of the blue mechas retracted inside the metal bodies, propelling them into the air. Within a matter of seconds, the only people who remained were Gabrielle and Dilandau.   
  
She called to him. "Why are we still here?" She asked in a panicked voice. "We have to stay and wait for the White Dragon. It's our only chance. You have to stay with me because I don't think it is within your capabilities to be at the base right now while it is under seige." He told her firmly, and she swallowed. Her eye travelled up to the sides of the mountains, where she had seen a flash of movement just a second before.  
  
A purple wing membrane appeared against the white of the snow-capped mountain. She pointed the mecha's claw up to the mountaintop, and she yelled out, "Dilandau, look behind us, it's the White Dragon!" A mechanical hiss sounded as the red body of the mecha suit pivoted on the road. He turned just in time to see a shining mass of white, green, and purple smash into his body, sending the mecha reeling backwards, smashing into the ground.  
  
The White Dragon stood overtop of the fallen Alseides, and then it's parts interchanged as it changed from the dragon into a different form. It now looked like a knight with a massive purple cape, and it withdrew a huge sword. Dilandau struggled, but couldn't shift the weight of the massive white mecha.  
  
Gabrielle, seeing the arm of the mecha raised to slash down upon Dilandau's mecha, reacted even before the mechanics of the white knight sent the signals to the arm to slash down. She barreled into the white mass of metal, sending it sprawling into the ground some metres away. It lay still on the ground for a second, and then it made many metallic sounds as it's parts interchanged yet again and the dragon stood before her, it's green eyes burning in the white of it's metal. It ignored her for the moment and went straight for the red mecha, who by this time was standing, ready for him.   
  
The White Dragon hit at Dilandau, but he avoided the blow, deflecting easily. The legs disappeared, and he shot straight into the air, almost teasing the dragon. The white one jumped up from the ground to try and snatch at the Alseides, but he missed on account of the red mecha had activated the invisibility cloak.  
  
The Dragon snapped open it's wings and flapped them hard, pulling itself into the air. It swirved in a circle to gain speed before attempting to gain altitude. The dragon caught sight of Dilandau using infrared and slashed him across the chest with the curved blade that Gabrielle also posessed.  
  
The systems in the Alseides shuddered and died, and the engines, losing their power source, let the Alsieides fall. The cloak shimmered and revealed Dilandau. The Alseides was left paralyzed, and the only thing Dilandau could command it to do was to release back it's legs to stand.  
  
She observed that he didn't move, and she could see through the damaged doors of the cockpit that he was trying desperately in vain to move the massive suit. As the White Dragon thrusted forward to deliver the final blow that would kill the pilot inside, Gabrielle dove forward, spreading the Libreia's red wings, and blocking the dragon's potentially fatal blow. The dragon struck at her again and again, but she found she could almost read his moves before he executed them, and slapped them aside with an apparent grace that surprised all three pilots. She shouted at the White Dragon, "Get away from him, you bastard!" The reply was almost instantaneous.  
  
"Make me!" She heard the voice reply from the opposing mecha. "Fine, I will!" She screeched back, and she delivered an unexpectedly hard punch to the head of the dragon, relishing the sound of the punch connecting and the shorting circuits. She commanded the Libreia's central computer system; "Activate flamethrower four, full power!"   
  
A valve opened and interchanged the Libreia's right claws with a flamethrower, blasting the White Dragon with searing heat. She then gave the command to rechange the flamethrower with the scythe on her claws. She gouged at the Dragon, but it recoiled and she sliced only air. She heard a humming noise directly behind her and twisted full force at the direction of the sound, careful not to step on the mecha beneath her.   
  
The White Dragon had attempted to fire a laser from it's mouth, but the mouth of the dragon was askew and the shot missed her completely and fired into the sky, punching a hole in a cloud high above them. The dragon made an attempt at getting at the Alseides from an odd angle to surprise her, but she lashed her tail and delivered a heavy blow to his shoulder, which sparked under the impact and sent some debris flying. She heard the pilot cry out inside. He must have been joined to the mecha by blood crystal, like she was. That meant that any damage deliverd to the mecha was felt by the pilot as well. She felt remorse for the pilot, but she knew that he posed a threat to her, so she assumed a defensive posture.  
  
She slashed out with her right arm, the scythe easily ripping through the purple fabric of the White Dragon's wing membrane, and she tore up into the air with it, still attached to her claws. She flew up to almost equal the start of the snow on the mountains, and flipped and sent the White Dragon hurtling towards the ground. She chased after it and saw it crash into the ground, and she heard his pained cry.  
  
The dragon convulsed and then it's failing systems allowed one more shape change into the White Knight. It got up just as she landed, and she saw the huge tear in the cape where she had ripped it. The hydraulics whined as it stood, and it pounded off into the distance, diving for cover into the deep green foliage.  
  
She shook as she sat in the pilot's seat, her body involuntarily twitching with the aftermath of shock and panic. She was breathing heavily. She stood absolutely still until she felt confident the white thing was really gone, and then she turned around to face the Alseides. She sent a radio signal.  
  
"D-Dilandau?" She stammered. She heard no reply, so she exited the Libreia and ran up to the shorting body of the Alseides. She saw Dilandau inside. She was very quiet as she climbed the rim of the Alseides, trying to get to the smashed up cockpit. She heard him talking.  
  
"... Oh God... She must be dead... I can't see her. I must have lost another one. Why did she have to fight him? Now I'm alone. I'm going to die here..." He said to himself, his back to her, his head in his hands. "D-Dilandau?" She called softly, quaking so hard that the metal and plastic of her armour was clicking on the Alseides. His head snapped up from his hands. "Dilandau... I'm b-behind you." She said. He turned around.   
  
"You're alive!" He exclaimed. For the first time since she had met him, she actually detected emotion in his voice. She crawled over the twisted and torn metal and fell into the cockpit. She got on her hands and knees shakily. "I-I did it." She said, and she gripped her arms as if she were cold. She shook in spasmic waves as the adrenaline's effect died off, and her pupils were contracted to pinpoints. She hung her head and began to cry, not caring that she was in front of him.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked her, although he was sure he already knew the answer. "I-I-I'm a monster! I k-killed someone, Dilandau! Th-They're dead because of m-me!" She started. He was right. "I killed the m-mother. It w-was an accident, I swear! A-and then, the kid got away from me, and..." She started to sob as the image replayed again and again in her mind of the mecha falling on top of the child. "The kid was killed!" She blurted and she shook harder than ever before. "And all those o-other people I saw d-die..." She cried. "Dead, and it's all my f-fault! I'm a murderer!"  
  
He sat at the other end of the cockpit, watching her cry, listening to her. She cried and looked so alone that he just wanted to go to her and tell her it was alright. He questioned this, because he wondered if it was right to do. He was so confused. He watched her cry for another moment or so, and then he shuffled across the cockpit, filled with shards of twisted metal and broken glass. He held himself back for a second, but then he gently put his arms around her. "Shh." He said, imitating so many other people he'd seen when they did this. "Shh..." He repeated, and her crying grew softer.   
  
"Come on, we have to go back now," He whispered to her, and her crying slowly died away. He nervously pulled away from her, and she sat there, looking for all the world like a broken soul. "Come, now." He insisted, and he backed up from her. He offered his hand to her, and she gently took it. He noticed the feeling in his back had returned when he'd hugged her. She stood up slowly, brushing herself off, and he helped her out of the wrecked suit. They jumped and landed on the ground, Dilandau buckling on one knee. "You're hurt," She said. "It's nothing. Let's go." He said in a commanding voice, and she followed behind him, trying not to see the image of the child being crushed that was burned, it seemed, in the backs of her eyelids.  
  
"Libreia, open." She said very quietly. Password? The computer asked. "Canada." She replied. Access granted. It said, and the doors opened. She stepped into the cockpit again, sitting in the seat. Dilandau slipped in beside the seat, and made himself small enough that he could fit. She was mildly surprised; He was five foot nine inches tall. She showed none of her surprise, and she commanded the door to shut. "Interior flight control." She said in a small voice. Yes, commander Fox. The computer answered. "Can you open a radio channel to the base?" She asked. At once, commander. The computer replied.  
  
"Status report," Crackled a voice. "Mission failed. I dealt damage to the White Dragon, but he escaped. Alseides has been nearly destroyed. Dilandau is with me. Is the base still under attack? Over." She asked. There was a slight pause. "No. Please return immediately.Over and out." The voice said. She took in a shaky breath.  
  
"Let's go." She said quietly, and the Libreia fired up and took off, adjusting the directory for the Fortress. The mecha streaked up into the sky, looking hundreds of times better than the pilot who was operating it felt. She wordlessly operated the controls, making sure they weren't being followed.   
  
"Oh. I forgot to mention," Dilandau said, breaking the silence. "We're going to eat when we get back first thing, and then..." He trailed off. "And then what?" She asked in a flat tone that Dilandau usually used. "I have to take you to see some people." He finished quickly. "Okay," She said innocently and obediently.  
  
She continued to stare blankly. "Gabrielle, there's nothing we can do about it, okay? I understand that you feel guilty, and so do I sometimes. But we cannot change what people tell us to do. It is not in our place. Please understand, I implore you." He said in a tone that betrayed his concern. She lifted the vision unit for a second to look at him. Their gazes met, and she stared into his eyes until he looked away. "Watch out, I think we're approaching the base." He said quietly. She replaced the visual unit and steered the Libreia into the docking bay. 


	6. Chapter 5

They walked out together, and she followed behind him to wherever they were supposed to go. It turned out to be a room with a large table, and all the Dragonslayers were all at the side. Dilandau passed them and sat at the head of the table, and she assumed that this was a position of power. There was an empty chair next to Gatti, and so shyly sat down.  
  
She hadn't eaten in the past two or three days, and she was so hungry now that she thought about it. She looked at her wrist, and she wondered what the tight leather that encased her wrist would taste like. She looked about the table nervously, and looked at the room. After a few moments, Dilandau's meal was served.  
  
It was served on a large platter, and it was fairly well-sized portions. It was roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots, and he had a Yorkshire pudding next to it. She found she was salivating at the sight of it and she swallowed. Dilandau sat and waited politely for the other's meals. My God, I can't wait! I'm so hungry! She thought to herself. It smelled so good, and the scent was further intensified by the raging hunger ravaging her insides.  
  
Several servants walked up carrying plates, but what the plates bore on them was so hideously different from what Dilandau had on his! She watched them bring up six plates of food, if you could call it that. They were steaming piles of grey glop, it looked like. A plate was put down in front of her, along with a knife and spoon. She swallowed again. She stared at the mass. It had pale yellow and pinkish chunks in it. In some part of the slushy, quivering mass, it was greenish. She picked up a knife and poked it, gingerly. A bubble appeared where she had poked the mass, and it burst, letting forth a putrid smell that made her stomach turn over. Steam came from the hole that the bubble had made.  
  
"It's high in protein," One said to her, and then he returned to eating the stuff ravenously with the others. She sniffed it. She found it smelled uncannily like urine. She tried not to make a face as she pushed it away. "Why aren't you eating, Gabrielle?" Dilandau asked her as he cut a piece of meat. "Oh, I'm... Not hungry." She choked. Her appetite had disappeared. He looked up at her. "You haven't eaten in three days. Eat." He said, and her gaze returned to the glop, and then back at him. She didn't say anything. "I... I'd rather not." She said, extremely shy at refusing him. The others stopped eating and looked up to see the sparks fly. He was about to say it was fine, when he saw everyone looking at him. I have a reputation to protect, but... he thought. "Fine!" He barked. "Go then, your quarters are on the second floor, third to your right. I will come after the meal to take you to see the Scientists." He snapped. She blinked back tears of frustrated embarassment. "Y-yes sir." She stammered, and she stood and bowed before leaving the room. They could hear her starting to cry very softly as she ran down the hall. Dilandau felt like an absolute heel.  
  
"You made her cry?" Gatti said. "Shut up, Gatti." Dilandau snapped. "Don't ask rhetorical questions. She didn't eat." He said. Migel said three words. "Go to her." He said, and winced at his broken jaw. "Yes." Seconded Dalet. "She's not used to food like this." He said. "I think she deserves a good meal before seeing the scientists. Besides, she's never killed anyone before." He said. "I hate you all." Said Dilandau. "You appeal to guilt. Fine." He snapped, and he got up.  
  
Gabrielle found her quarters easily enough and sat down on the bed. She began to cry again. Just my day! I kill people, I disappoint my superiors, and embarass myself in front of my equals! I'm such an idiot! She belittled herself some more. A few moments later, she heard a knock at the door. "Come in," She said very very quietly, and pressed the door release. The door hissed as the pressure expelled and it retracted into the ceiling in one piece. It was Dilandau.  
  
"Sir?" She asked. She blinked back even more tears. "A-are you here to yell at me, sir?" She asked him. "No, Gabrielle. I'm not here to yell at you." He said. "I'm here to say I'm sorry. I have a reputation to uphold, and the reputation is that I'm a take-no-shit officer who constantly blows up at his crew to keep them in line." He said, and it was the first time she'd heard him swear. "I didn't want to yell at you, but I had to. I, um, I don't want you to be mad at me." He said. "Why should you care if I'm mad at you? You could simply smack me or get me expelled." She said. "Well, I wouldn't do that. First, because I can't hit girls. Second of all, I... Um, I enjoy your company." He said stiffly. "Thank you." She thanked him. She was still curled up on the bed in the corner of the wall. "I have to take you to see the Scientists now." He said. He stepped into the room, and he offered her his hand to help her stand up. She touched it lightly as she stood up. "What are they going to do?" She asked him nervously. He thought for a minute. "I don't know." He replied.  
  
They walked down a long corridor which was blindingly white. She got goosebumps from the energies of the place. She'd always been highly sensitive to psychic energies and vibrations, and she felt really bad ones here. Really bad. She looked over at Dilandau, walking beside her. He looked extremely uneasy. They came to door, and he opened it for her.  
  
The room was white, and it seared her retinas, blinding her for a moment. The sharp smell of a clean, sterile environment burned in her nose. The smell of fear, pain and panic, undetectable to most humans, hung thick in the air. A man in a white coat approached them He spoke with a smooth voice. "Hello, Dilandau. I see you've brought ... Gabrielle here?" He asked him. "Yes." He said slowly, a bit confused. "How did you know her name?" He asked the man. "Oh, I saw the appointment block." He replied quickly. The man turned his sharp, piercing green eyes into Gabrielle's.  
  
"Okay, we have to do some tests on you." He said. "I am Dr. Jerrick. We'll be running a blood and brain test on you today." He explained, and she shuddered. Something about him was unpleasantly familiar. She saw how tense Dilandau appeared to be here, and she figured that if he was afraid, she should be too.  
  
Dr. Jerrick led Gabrielle to a metal table. "Please lie down here," He said, pointing in a room behind a window at a table. "Dilandau, you can come if you feel you want to." He said. She nervously walked into the room behind the window. There was a large table in the centre of the room, with a light right above it and surrounded by machines of many undeterminable purposes. She was in the room alone with Dilandau for the moment. She looked at the thick leather straps on the table. She swallowed. "I'd never get out of those. Dilandau, what exactly are they going to do to me?" She asked nervously. "Oh, probably just some blood tests and brain wave monitoring or something." He suggested, and was reassuring himself at the same time. There was that strange feeling, almost like a knot in his stomach. It told him to protect her. "I'll be right here, so don't worry, it can't be that bad." He said. "That bad?" She asked.   
  
Dr. Jerrick walked in. "Please lie down," He told her. She nervously complied, and he fastened the straps around her wrists and ankles. "W-what are those straps for?" She asked fearfully. "So that you don't fall off." He replied nonchalantly. "I need a sample of your blood." He stated and he withdrew a large needle from a drawer. Her eyes widened. She got a memory flash of this room, and that needle, but how could it be? She'd never been here before... Or had she? "Nnn!" She yelped as he came towards her with the needle. "Just relax your arm. It won't hurt much." He said. She tried to make her arm as relaxed as a noodle, but it didn't really work. Once she felt it pierce her flesh, she squeezed her eyes tightly and she yelped again as he retracted it cleanly. A syringe full of her warm, red blood rested in Dr. Jerrick's hand. He removed the needle mechanism and placed the vial in a small machine that rocked back and forth to keep it from congealing.  
  
He then withdrew another syringe, filled with a clear yellow fluid, and she squirmed. "What's that!?" She asked. "Just a sedative." He said soothingly. "No! No sedatives! I don't like sedatives, no. I want to stay conscious, please. No stuff that makes me sleepy." She said rapidly. The memories of her childhood operations came flooding back: The fear, the gas masks, the needles. She was most afraid of letting go of her consciousness. She hated not being in control. Sedated sleep was a sleep that you couldn't wake up from until the drug wore off, and she was afraid of that. She had a terminal fear of those, and she squirmed insanely when he advanced her.  
  
"No! Please, no! I'm afraid of those drugs, please don't make me fall asleep! Please," She begged, her fear growing with every step Dr. Jerrick took towards her. "I'm sorry, Gabrielle, but we have to find out if you really are who we think you are." He said, and he advanced again. "No! Get away from me! Don't stick me with that needle! Please, I'll do whatever you want, I don't care about pain, please just don't sedate me! Please!" She begged frantically. Dilandau spoke up.   
  
"If she says she doesn't want it, don't make her take it." He said stiffly. "Dilandau, please. You are here to watch, not to participate!" He snapped, and Gabrielle squirmed wildly, completely petrefied of that needle the man held in his hand. He was right over her now, and she cried, hot wet tears streaming down her face. She was defeated. She was going to lose control. "Dr. Jerrick, I'm allergic to those! Those cause muscle spasms in me and I can't breathe! Please, don't!" She screamed, her eyes wide and following the tip of the needle. "There is only one person we know of who has that allergy..." Dr. Jerrick said. "But I have to make sure. Relax. This is the type that you're not allergic to." He assured her. Dilandau walked up to the table. "Dr. Jerrick," He insisted. "Don't do this. Can't you see she's scared out of her mind? Look at her. Just leave her alone. I'm sure whatever tests you have to do, you don't need to put her under. A general anesthetic, anyways. I'm sure you could use some Daro venom for a local." He said.  
  
Dr, Jerrick ignored him, and he raised Gabrielle's sleeve. She cried even harder, her eyes squeezed tightly shut, her body rigid with paralyzing fear. Dilandau almost didn't know what he was doing when he held her hand. He reached out to snatch the syringe away, but Dr. Jerrick glared at him. "Do you want to be put on a table, too, Dilandau? I'm sure I can update my test results on you. Watch if you want to, even hold her hand like you're doing, I don't care. Just don't interfere. Got it?" Dr. Jerrick hissed at him. Dilandau seethed inside. He wanted to pound the man's face in! The urge to protect her was so strong that he felt if she cried one more tear in her fear, he was going to be forced to wring Dr. Jerrick's throat. He didn't especially know why he felt this, but he did. It tugged on his insides like a hook, along with that funny feeling he sometimes got in his chest. His back felt tight, too, and he still didn't know what that was from. Perhaps he should undergo a test... See what was wrong with him... No. Whatever it was, he was sure it wasn't allowed for him, and he didn't want to be mentally thrashed any more.  
  
She cried as Dr. Jerrick injected her with a little more than half of the dose of the clear yellow liquid. "Dilandau, you have part of your wish. This won't put her completely out. She'll be drowsy, but she won't be forced to fall asleep. If she does, she does it of her own will. Are you happy with that?" Dilandau looked at Gabrielle, beginning to fight the drugs. "I can always put her fully under." He menaced. "I'm fine with it." Dilandau replied abruptly. "Good." Dr. Jerrick said.  
  
Dilandau held her hand still. She was trying to fight the drugs out of her system, and it seemed that she was winning for a long while. Eventually, her grip on his hand weakened ever so slightly, and then little by little, he saw her slipping away from him, the misty look in her eyes giving it away. "You lied to me!" He snapped at Dr. Jerrick. Gabrielle shuddered, and he saw the consciousness flicker back into her eyes. She blinked slowly, and her breathing was deep. "Possibly. I need to find out if she is who my associates and I think she is." He said, and he approached her limp body.  
  
Dr. Jerrick proceeded to lift her shirt to expose just her higher abdomen and nothing more. "Aha!" He exclaimed. "She has the scar! Johannes, come here!" He called, and another scientist walked in from the next room. He looked at the scar. "I see." He said. He looked at Dilandau. "And she ... fell from the sky, did she?" He asked. "Yes." Dilandau replied. "I saw her myself." He said.  
  
'Johannes' and Dr. Jerrick went to a corner and conversed quietly, out of Dilandau's earshot, He couldn't make out their whispers. All he could tell was that 'Johannes' had been studying her blood sample and had found... Something highly unusual about it, something that was similar to 'that one's' blood, and something about 'She's come back.' He couldn't piece it all together just yet. He looked back down at Gabrielle. Her eyes were shut, and her breathing was deep and regular. She'd fallen asleep. The drugs had taken their effect. He continued to hold her hand as the scientists came back. Still, he didn't quite know why. Perhaps it was because he knew she needed it.  
  
"Dilandau, she fell from the sky. She can't be trusted... We don't know if she's an enemy spy. Don't promote her, just keep her where she is. Most of all, don't get close to her... She might turn on us." He reasoned coldly. "And remember your training," He spat. "Don't care for anyone, in case the day comes where you might have to kill them." He said, and he turned away. "She might turn on us," He repeated. "She's no good. Take her away." He said. "But wait, Dr. Jerrick." Said Johannes. I want to do a brainwave on her..." He said, and he attached a few cords to her head, and Dilandau watched as a rapidly flicking needle recorded scribbles on a paper. "She is..." Johannes said, and then he told Dilandau to take her back. "The effects of the drug should be wearing off in a while. Take her back." He said. He detached the cords from her, and he lifted Gabrielle into Dilandau's arms.   
  
Dilandau carried her to her quarters, and he punched in her code in the ID lock at her room. He knew all of his Dragonslayers' codes. He never really used them, but he figured he should use hers right then. How else was he supposed to put her in her quarters? He stepped into the room, carrying her, and he placed her down on the bed. He noticed how scratchy the blankets were, and he wrinkled his nose at the thought of trying to sleep on them. He stood back up and turned to go. He stood near the door, but turned around and looked at her sleeping. Why did he consistently get that weird feeling in him when he was near her? It was kind of nice in a very strange, strange way, but he figured he would never get used to it. Maybe he should look it up on the computer. Maybe he was sick or something. But doesn't being sick mean you feel horrible... All the time? This doesn't feel horrible, nor is it all the time. It's just when I'm with her. He reconsidered looking up illnesses on the computer. Maybe I should look up 'emotions' instead. He thought. He half-smiled to himself and opened the door, stepping outside.  
  
As soon as he'd left, she opened her eyes. She looked to make sure he was really gone. So what is this? I can't be trusted? What did I do? And they all act like they know me... The Scientists, even that nurse when I first came here. What's going on? God, I'm horrible! People hate me, I hate me, I killed people... Everybody's bound to hate me. I'm a monster! She insulted herself again and again. She curled up into a ball. Why couldn't she just disappear? Then it occurred to her that she had disappeared. From her home. She'd never see Michiko again, or her cat, or her mother and father. None of that. And now, she was going to be distanced from everyone here because she'd 'fallen out of the sky and can't be trusted?' She wallowed in her misery for what seemed like a long time.  
  
After about an hour, there was a knock from the lower part of her door. Someone must have kicked it. "Come in..." She sighed, and she pressed the button. The door opened with a hiss, and she didn't even bother to look at who it was. Maybe it was those scientists, come to tell her she was useless and couldn't be trusted, and then stab her with needles again.  
  
"Um, hello? I brought you some food." Came a familiar voice. She looked up, and it was the weirdest, most out-of-place thing she'd ever seen in her life. It was Dilandau holding a food tray, and he gave it to her. "Here." He said. "Will you eat that? The rations aren't exactly that appealing." He stated. "It's not going to be very good because I had to make it from nothing. All the cooks were asleep. I was so mad." He said. "I made it myself," He added, and she thought she detected the slightest bit of boyish pride. She thought about smiling at this.  
  
It was a sandwich. She thanked him quietly, then picked it up. She ate it quickly, eager to satiate her hunger. She finished it within two minutes. "Thanks. But you know, you shouldn't get emotionally involved with me. I might turn on you." She said, mocking Dr. Jerrick's tone. He was about to say something back when she stood up and walked out the door, headed for the docking bay.   
  
Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked down the hall, turning to the left, walking into the docking bay. She stepped up to the Libreia, and it's red eyes glowed faintly before activation. "Libreia, open." She commanded it. Visual unit program online. No further need for password. Identification confirmed. Welcome, Commander Fox. The computer said. It's doors opened, and she sat in the comfortable seat. She noticed something new on the interface beside the computer screen.  
  
"Computer, what is that?" She asked, touching the new thing. Dragonslayer Gatti installed this hardware. He left a message to you regarding it. Would you like to hear the message? It asked her. "Yes, please." She replied. A hologram screen appeared in front of her. The sound quality was good, but it occasionally rewound a quarter of a second, making the video image and sound skip like a shaken CD.  
  
"Hello, Gabrielle." Gatti's recorded voice said. "I i-i-nstalled the CD player into the L-Libreia. It's very good at reading d-d-disc information, but r-r-r-recording it is a different story. I'm working on an improvement for this model, I-I'll let you know when I have developed o-one. The sound of a CD doesn't skip, even when i-in mecha flight. I have the same model, and I've t-t-tested it. You can shake the mech like it was in an e-earthquake and it still won't skip! Well, I-I have to go now. Later." He said, and she half smiled. Her CD's were conscientiously placed beside the seat, and she picked out the David Usher: Morning Orbit CD. She pressed the button on the side, and the cradle opened. She placed the CD in it, and the drive closed.  
  
"Libreia, open bay doors." She said. Acknowledged. The computer replied, and sent a signal to the doors to open. "Interior flight mode." She said, and the computer confirmed her command. The mecha's wings opened and started flight just as David Usher's "How Are You" Song came on the player. It was just as good sound quality as the players on her world. She was impressed with Gatti's work. He was right, it didn't skip, even if the mech ran into turbulence or if she barrel-rolled in the sky.   
  
She had no idea how far she was going to fly away from the Zaibach Fortress, and she didn't have an intention of going back. She knew she would have to eventually, but right then she just wanted to fly on forever. 


	7. Chapter 6

Back at the base, Dilandau puzzled over what he did wrong. He'd made her food. Was the sandwich bad? He wondered about that. He was sure it wasn't... But maybe the bread was mouldy and he hadn't noticed. He was sure the insides were fresh, so that wasn't the problem. Maybe the bread... It must have been the bread. Then he remembered what the Scientists had told him, and he related the two comments by her and the Scientists. Well, they can go screw themselves over. I'll do what I want! She wouldn't turn on us! He said to himself with confidence in his head. There was an announcement.  
  
"Dilandau, please report to the Dragonslayer's headquarters immediately. Thank-you." It said. Why? He wondered, but he headed for the room anyways. He got there only a few moments later, and Gatti was there, holding a piece of paper that he proceeded to read to him.  
  
"Pilot number 68372 has departed on a mecha flight. While this is not prohibited and is in fact encouraged for training reasons, it imposes a danger upon Pilot number 68372 because curfew rules will be enforced in a half hour. We ask that you persue Pilot number 68372 and return back to the base. Curfew lockup will be extended for another half hour to give you time to do this. Thank you." Gatti read. "Which one is Pilot 68372?" Dilandau asked. "Gabrielle," Replied Gatti. "She's gone. This message is already twenty minutes old." He said. "Oh shit." Dilandau swore, and he headed for the docking bay.  
  
If I can't get to her in time, she'll be locked out overnight. The Energist that powers her suit will eventually run out, and if she's still flying, she'll fall out of the sky! The suit needs several hours to recharge... If I can't get to her, what about me? I'll be locked out, too, in the Oreides. Her Energist lasts... Ten hours without a single moment of recharge. The Oreides will only last seven! I'm screwed... He thought grimly. If the fall from the sky doesn't kill her, the wild animals certainly will. She has next to no weapons when the Libreia runs out of power. Oh, wait! The Libreia can use power from the pilot when energy reserves go down. But that will leave Gabrielle weak and vulnerable, and the suit's power taken from her will only last as long as the she is conscious. Then all sheilds will die and the wild animals will get to her if they can open the doors. We're both screwed...   
  
By this time he was already in the Oreides and preparing to jump. The heavy dock's doors opened and a blast of cold night air at high altitude washed over him. He pressed a button on the interface and a tracking grid appeared. He set the modifications for the Libreia's type and then he flew after it at the highest speed his engines could bear.  
  
He passed trees faster than he could see them, and the mountains blurred together to make a greenish coloured mass. However, the computer knew what it was doing, and followed her flawlessly. He noticed that the curfew was closing in five minutes, and he knew there was no way he could make it in time. He continued anways. He noticed that the blinking red dot that representd Gabrielle on the screen had ceased movement. He worried for a moment, then got a grip and homed in on the signal. He landed as carefully as he could o the rocky terrain and exited the Oreides.  
  
He was surprised to find Gabrielle sitting high above on a jutted out rock overlooking the ocean. The moon shone silver on her features and illuminated half of her so perfectly, and he felt that he couldn't breathe for just a second for her beauty. He snapped out of his little thought, and he began to ascend the small hill up towards her.  
  
When he reached the summit that she sat upon, he said quietly, so as not to startle her. "Hey,"He called to her softly. Without turning her head or breaking her soft upon the stirring waters far below, she replied to him in a sad tone. "Hey." There was a moment of mutual silence. "I'm sorry I said that to you, I was just angry." She finally spoke. "It's alright, I understand why, and I couldn't happen to care less what those repulsive Scientists say to me." He answered. She turned and looked at him, and she smiled very softly, which he figured was an invitation to sit by her, so he swung lightly over the tip of the rock that separated them and he sat down.  
  
"You know, the curfew is passed ten minutes ago." He said grimly. "What's curfew?" She asked him, and he looked to the ocean. "All mechas have to be inside four hours past sunset, because the Fortress locks up at night to prevent from attack. Only exceptions are elite missions that nobody talks about." He said. "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you follow me like that. I didn't mean to." She apologized. "That's alright, you didn't know. There are strange creatures that roam around these parts of the country during the night, so we should go find someplace safe to stay until first light tomorrow." He explained. She nodded, and stood carefully, taing a last look at the glittering sea. She turned and slid down the face of the rock towards the Libreia. She opened the doors and waited for him.  
  
"Just walk in the mech for now, we don't want to use up too much power. You can check your reserves by asking the computer." He explained as he climbed into the Oreides' cockpit. The two mechas started to walk through the forest together for quite some time before they came to a suitable place. Dilandau told her to hop out, and she did after him. They placed the mechs on standby to save power and let them recharge. Gabrielle found a few pieces of wood and some sticks and began to rub them together to make a spark out of the friction. He scoffed. "You don't need to do that," He said. "Well, then how do you propose we make a fire?" She asked him. A peculiar glint in his eye made itself known to her. "Just watch!" He said in a tone she'd never heard him speak in before. "Move back." He announced, and he stepped into the Oreides. One massive arm of the red suit lifted, and a gout of flame blasted from the tip, lighting the large sticks on fire. He then turned it and grabbed two dead logs and heaved them over to the fire, placing them a good distance away from it, presumably to use as seats. He then exited the suit, and hopped out. He stood proudly before the fire. "And that's how you start a fire!" He exclaimed.  
  
She giggled a little bit and sat down on one of the logs. He sat on the other one. "So... When does the Fortress reopen?" She asked him. "Oh, not until morning. We're going to have to spend the night here." He said. "It's too bad you didn't know about curfew." He added, and she nodded slowly. "Then I wouldn't have unwittingly dragged you into this mess." She said. "But you didn't, you did, and here we are." He said, shrugging his shoulders. She smiled, and she watched the fire eat into the wood, slowly sucking the life out of it. She had always been fascinated by fire. She loved it. It was too far away from her to give her adequate heat, and she began to shiver. Dilandau noticed this. "You're cold?" He asked in more of a statement. "Y-yes." She stammered. Her teeth were beginning to chatter. "I'm cold too." He said, and did nothing about it for a moment. "I-is there anything we can get from the mech to k-keep us warm?" She asked him. "No, not really." He said, and he looked at the log she was sitting on. It was big enough to fit two...   
  
He stood and stepped over to the other log and sat on it next to her. "We can keep each other warm." He said. He looked into the fire. He considered moving closer to it, but he figured that the sparks might get them. There was only a row of stones separating it from the ground, and there might be flammable things on the ground. As long as it wasn't catching, he figured he should leave it. He put his arm around her to keep her warmer, so she would stop shivering. He looked down at her, and she looked back up at him. That's when it happened.  
  
He didn't really even consciously know what he was doing; He just... Did it. He leant down just slightly, and he pressed his lips gently to hers, kissing her. The tight feeling in his back came erupting back harder than ever before, and then it suddenly stopped. He ignored this for just this one moment, just this one little moment of bliss he never knew before that he could have. He finally pulled just a little back from her, and she opened her blue eyes. She smiled at him, just looking right back into his eyes.   
  
A black feather floated down between them, and Gabrielle caught it in her fingers. She looked up, slightly past him, and her eyes grew wide. "Dilandau, look! You have... You have wings!" She exclaimed, but all her voice was gone from her shock, and she only whispered it to him. He turned his head to the side to look, and he did have wings. He saw one, massive and shining ebony black. It looked like a raven's wing, except on a much larger scale.   
  
His jaw dropped. He found he could control them. He flapped them, and a massive gust of displaced air whooshed past them. "I... I... I know?" He said. He flapped them again. He stretched one high above him, almost straight up, and then he folded the other. He spread them both at the same time, and then he stood. He looked at her curiously, and he was trying to remember...  
  
"Dilandau, my systems are failing!" Gabrielle's voice announced frantically over his radio. "Gabrielle, you're too close to the sun! Please, pull back! Come back!" He exclaimed. "Please, I don't want to lose you." He added, and he reached out his mecha's arm towards her. "I can't. My systems failed and my boosters cut. The gravity's sucking me in. Oh, God, Dilandau, I'm going to die!" She said, panicked. He could hear her over the open channel, frantically rerouting power sources, flipping switches, twisting dials and punching combinations. Nothing worked. He could see her, spinning away from him, headed invariably twards the sun. "I'm coming after you!" He shouted, determined. "No, Dilandau. I'm at the point that even if my boosters were working, the gravity's too strong. Please, don't play the hero and try to save me, you'll only end up dying, too." She said, her voice broken. "Please, no. Gabrielle, I-" Her radio signal was cut off. The channel was broken. It no longer fuctioned. "Love you." He finished, but she could not hear him. She'd never hear him. His breath caught in his throat, and he shook involuntarily. "N-no! NOOOO!!!!" He screamed, and he could feel the whole universe cave in around him. A blue flash of light surrounded him, coming from Gabrielle's direction, and he figured it must have been the mecha being destroyed, along with his love.   
  
  
  
The world of memory gradually disintegrated before his eyes, and it brought him back to reality.  
"You... Died." He said after a moment. "But I can't have, because here I am, in front of you. Last time I checked, I was still alive." She said. "Well... Then what was that? I just saw a segment... Just a fragmented moment, and it was in the past, the last time I saw you. You were in a mech, and the sun started to suck you in because your fuel boosters weren't working, and... I think you got sucked into the sun." He said, bewildered. "Dilandau, mechas can't go in space." She said. "Well, I know that, but these two could... How could I have forgotten you?" He asked nobody, not expecting an answer.  
  
"I can come up with only one viable solution," She started. "Memory erasing technology." She said with a note of coldness. Dilandau was half listening. He was too busy thinking about what he saw. He had honestly felt that he should go and get her, regardless to the danger presented to him. He hadn't cared... Only cared for her. He'd never felt like he should do that in any situation. He'd always let people fend for themselves if he was in too much danger to attempt to save them. But he'd felt different for her... What was this feeling? This was new to him... So new and confusing.  
  
"Your wings are gone," She said, amazed. "They just... Sucked back into your body." She said. She stood curiously and walked around to behind him. He instinctively turned to face her. "Turn around," She said, and he reluctantly complied.  
  
She inspected the torn material. It was torn halfway down his back, the leather busted through, evidence of a great force. She touched his shoulder blades with one hand. He turned his head halfway to see what she was doing. "Can you do it again?" She asked, and stepped to the side of him so that if the wings did come out again, they wouldn't knock her backwards. "I don't know." He replied. "I'll try."  
  
He knelt on the ground and crossed his arms, shutting his eyes. He concentrated for a moment, but grew frustrated and slammed his fist on the gound. "Dilandau, relax." She said softly. "I can't do it." He said bitterly. She looked at the torn material. "It takes a lot of force to rip through leather and punch through some metal, too." She said. The backs of his shoulderguards were all bent out of shape at the expellation of the wings. He quieted and tried again. No effect. She thought for a moment, and then an idea struck her. "You might as well take off that thing, because it's useless now." She said, in a practical tone. It was true. He slipped off the arm guards and the bent shoulder guards, letting them fall to the ground with a clanking noise. He pulled off the ruined leather over his head, smoothing down his hair when he pulled it off. "What does that have to do with anything?" He asked, a confused expression on his face. "Well, you won't wreck your shirt anymore, and it will be easier for your wings to come out," She explained. That's all she'd thought about it when she'd suggested it. But now, when she looked at him... He looks good shirtless. She girlishly giggled to herself in her mind.  
  
"Try again," She suggested. "It won't work," He said stubbornly. "Please, I have an idea." She said. "Fine, but I'm telling you it won't work." He said flatly, and she smiled at him. Just the way she smiled and the light played about her, it made his insides melt like butter. "Okay." He finally said. She walked to his front and gripped his ice cold hands. She stretched up and kissed him on the cheek. Then she kissed him properly, letting go of his hands and holding him around the waist. There was a slight 'fwish' noise, and then he stood, his wings extended fully behind him. Dislodged feathers floated down around them. He opened his eyes when she pulled back. "Yeah. Well. Yeah. That um, worked." He said. She smiled warmly. "See? Don't be so quick do dismiss ideas." She said. "But... You didn't tell me first." He said, tilting his head to one side. "I know. You might have disagreed if I'd told you." She said to him. He looked to the tree beside him. "No." He said simply, a hot feeling creeping over the bridge of his nose. "I wouldn't have."  
  
She smiled. "Try to fly," She said, changing the subject for his sake. She didn't think he'd ever really been embarassed before. He nodded and turned, lifting his wings high above him so that he didn't bump her with them. He put his foot on the Oreides to climb it. He figured he could jump from there. All of a sudden, his wings retracted. "Um," He said, and turned back to face her for a moment. "They... Went back. You, ah, think we could, um..." He pointed to her and then himself rapidly. "Do that... Thing... Again, you know, that feels nice and makes my wings come out." He scratched the back of his neck. She smiled. "Yes, Dilandau. I'll kiss you." She said and smiled, and she walked towards him again. He smiled sheepishly, and she kissed him on the cheek. That was all he needed, and his wings came back out. "Go fly." She said to him. He began to climb the Oreides, and he sat atop the mecha's head after only a minute or two, the occasional feather blowing from his wings to the ground. He stood shakily on the smooth, polished surface. He was beginning to rethink trying to jump from this height.  
  
The wind stirred his hair, and his wings fluttered a little as he regained balance. What if they go back when I jump off? He thought nervously. A strange feeling bubbled up in the middle of his stomach. It felt like a creature was swimming in there. He was about to just shake his head and climb down when he reminded himself... Of himself. He was a soldier, and an officer, too. He wouldn't let a height like this scare him! He was only fifty feet off the ground, and he had wings, like that cursed White Dragon's pilot. Better than that other boy's. His were black, he smugly told himself. Not a sissy white. He looked back at Gabrielle down below him, and he coiled back to jump into the chilled night air with his shining black wings.  
  
He took in a deep breath, and he leapt into the air, his wings spreading to catch the air. He reached the critical split second moment where he would either begin to fall, or rise up into the air. He began to fall. He used everything in him to make the wings pound hard in the air, making him stop and hover for a moment. Slowly, he started to rise, and he tried to make himself move forward. Nothing happened. He aimed towards the ground and let himself fall with his wings open, to gather momentum so he could propel himself up in the air. He was two feet from the ground when his wings made it possible for him to pull up. He did, and the speed caused him to burst out of the treeline, overtop of the canopy.  
  
He flipped over in the air unintentionally, as it was probably from a breeze. He regained control and soared up higher, even though he was so cold that he could see his own breath. He grew steadier in the air as he practised for a few moments. His wingbeats were getting slightly weaker, and he noticed fatigue building up. It was only the first time he'd flown. He was surprised that he could support his own weight in the air with them. He made lazy circles down the the clearing, and then dropped down, using his wings as airbreaks.   
  
He landed gracefully, with a sweep of his magnificent wings, and he stood back on the ground, breathing fairly heavily with the effort of flight. His wings retracted. She was sitting complacently on the log, near the fire, which had begun to burn down. She was smiling softly. "I wish I could fly," She said. She stared up at the space between the leaves longingly. "Anyways," She continued, "I'm tired." She yawned.  
  
"Where are we going to sleep tonight?" She wondered aloud. "Well, the mechs might be good." Dilandau said thoughtfully. "Well, the systems stay online as long as a pilot is present in the cockpit and I thought we were trying to recharge them." She reasoned. "True." He said, "But I don't have any other better ideas, how about you?" He said. Her gaze turned to the soft earth by the fire. "There," She said nonchalantly. "I guess." He said flatly. "If we have to."  
  
He gathered up the remnants of the leather shirt and placed it on the ground. "Use that as a pillow. You don't want to get your nice hair dirty." He said, and smiled. "Is that an insult?" She asked him with an air of dispondence. "No, I didn't mean it that way. It's not an insult at all." He replied rapidly. She smiled and said "Alright then." In joking disbelief. She stood up from the log and made her way to the place where he had placed down the clothes. She slowly and sleepily lowered herself down on the ground and placed her head on the makeshift pillow. She curled up as small as she could comfortably, and watched the fire embers glow as they began to die. "Y-you should put on another log," She commented as she shivered, feeling the utmost cold, but refusing to show signs of it. He nodded agreeably. He walked not far before he found a hefty dry log and poked it into the fire. She watched the sparks skip and dance about. In barely a few moments, the fire was crackling again, but she still felt cold.  
  
He went and lay on the other side of the fire, and watched it too. She didn't notice that his gaze more than often wandered to her. She shut her eyes and attempted to sleep, but every few minutes she would shiver, waking herself up. She did this several times without complaint. She sneezed, and made an exasperated noise. She had almost been asleep! She shuffled a few inches closer to the fire, but it made hardly a difference. Any closer though, and she feared a spark might catch. She sighed in her predicamant, and attempted to sleep again, all her attempts in vain. She could feel his watchful eyes on her. She pretended to ignore it and went back to trying to sleep.   
  
There was a very slight shuffle in the dirt as he stood up. He treaded softly, so as not to wake her again, just in case she had finally managed it. No. She shivered again and her eyes opened. He lay down again, but this time beside her, putting one arm over her. He was cold himself, but he figured that two together would keep them warmer. Slowly, and over time, she stopped shivering. Her eyes closed, and she finally slept. He watched her sleep. He found her beautiful, like a creature made out of the Land of the Devine itself. Once her muscles had relaxed, and her breath had slowed and become deeper, he pulled her closer to him. Not because he was cold, but just because he wanted her to be there. It felt good to him. He wanted to... What was that word she had used? Oh yes, 'kiss' her. Kiss her, and touch her soft, smooth flesh. Why, he didn't really know. It was unclear to him. He just wanted to. The feel of it, perhaps. He held her firmly with his left hand, and he fell asleep that way, close to her, just like he wanted. 


	8. Chapter 7

Something poked his bare shoulder, and he awoke with a massive jolt of adrenaline, and his first reaction was to cover Gabrielle, clutching her close. He opened his eyes. The forest was light, and ... Standing around him were Chesta, Migel, Dalet, and Guimel . He could tell by the stupid expressions on their faces that they were trying not to laugh at him.   
  
"Still keeping her warm, eh, Dilandau-sama?" Migel said, and he controlled his laughter with enormous effort. "Shut up, all of you." Dilandau growled menacingly. "It's not what it looks like." He tried to explain, still in a low tone. "Oh, come off it, my Lord." Dalet sighed. "We all know you've grown soft for her." Guimel said. "Oh, yeah? Well, you've grown hard for her!" He retorted, with an insane, darkly menacing grin that sent chills up all of their spines. "Please, be quiet, lest you wake her." Chesta said softly, before Dilandau could reply with another stinging comeback that would have offended Guimel's manhood.  
  
They were all silenced. All of them were mildly surprised that Gabrielle was still asleep, her head and shoulders still cradled in Dilandau's arms. "Fine," He whispered, "But if anyone- anyone -squeals to anybody that I feel for her like that, the little squealing piglet's head will be rolling across the floor within three seconds of my gained knowledge. What was said here does not leave this spot. Clear?" He hissed at them. They all nodded vigorously. "Yessir." They echoed. None of them doubted the truth in that statement.  
  
After a moment or two, Gabrielle sat up slowly. "Nnn..." She muttered. Her eyes flickered open, and she focused. "Ngah!" She exlaimed, and she jumped backwards. "W-what are you all doing here!? How? What? Huh?"   
  
"We were sent here," Chesta explained quietly. "To look for you." "Oh." She said. "Who sent you?" She asked, curious at who had assumed command when Dilandau had been absent.  
  
"I did, O My exquisite, sublime Flower of the West," Gatti said, stepping out of the bushes. If Dilandau had been an animal, his hackles would have risen. Obviously Gatti hadn't heard or seen anything. Gabrielle blinked. "Oh, um... Thank you... Ah..." She was lost for words. So was Dilandau.   
  
"I gave the order to find you, you who inspires poetry. As second in command, I felt it was my duty." Gatti said. Dilandau's blood was practically boiling. One more word like that, and I'll- "So, Gabrielle, once we get back to the Fortress today... Just a shot in the dark, but I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner. Privately, sometime?" He said haltingly. Dilandau shook with bottled anger. "Y-you!" He cried. Gatti quaked. "W-wh-wha-what, s-sir?" He quivered under Dilandau's basilisk-like glare.   
  
Dilandau restrained himself from kicking and punching Gatti to a bloody pulp. He was so infuriated he could barely talk. "You... Fly back. Now." He said, barely managing to spit the words out. "B-but-" Gatti started. " Your audacity sickens me! Do not dare contradict me!" Dilandau screamed at him. "Get out of my sight, you... You... I don't know what you are! Go! Back! Now!" He barked.  
  
"Y-yes, sir. Right away, sir. Immediately, sir." Gatti stammered. He was paralyzed with fear. He couldn't move. Dilandau's eyes flashed. "Go!" He roared. Gatti made a shaky salute and ran to his mech faster than a fleeing antelope.   
  
Dilandau turned, looking avidly for something to punch. He came across a tall rotting log, and he punched it, ripping a hole into the bark. The log was not hollow, but he made a considerable hole deep into it. He cracked his knuckles. "Anybody else up for a shot?" He snarled. A resounding "No sir!" Made a flock of birds fly away, frightened at the sudden volume. Gabrielle shrank away from his direction cautiously. He saw this, and walked up to her. She withdrew from him.  
  
"Hey," He said, calm now. "I wouldn't ever even consider for the most fleeting of measurements of time in doing anything like that to you. Never." He said. "Um. Okay," She said very quietly, still a little shaken by his display of rage. "I didn't hit him, did I?" He said, and she had to agree. He hadn't.  
  
"Oh, my God, I do believe our commander just... smiled." Guimel said in fake amazement. "Shut up, Sheep Boy." Migel said. Guimel went into defense. "Stop mocking my hair! I like it this way!" He said, and Migel laughed. "Poofy!" He said, and he laughed insanely, as if it were the most hilarious thing the universe had seen, did see, and will ever see. Guimel crossed his arms. Gabrielle laughed at them both. It was a warm sound that made Dilandau feel as if his insides were made of velvet.   
  
Guimel and Migel started firing insults back and forth at one another, and Gabrielle laughed to the point that she thought she was going to have to go to the bathroom. "I laugh like a chicken!" She said, inbetween bouts of it. She had long since stopped her belly laugh and had proceeded to laugh the way her family had for generations. Silently. Sometimes when she inhaled, it made a high pitched noise that she thought sounded like a chicken squawking. She found this even more funny. Combined with her laughing silently, she couldn't stop, and she ran out of breath. Still her body shook with laughter, and then her vision went dark. Damn, it's really dark... She thought in the second she was out, and then she heard her name being called.  
  
She opened her eyes to see Dilandau shaking her shoulders. She started to laugh again. "Okay... Ow, my stomach hurts..." She said, finally able to breathe. "You passed out! Are you okay? Do you feel alright? Do you think you can still fly?" A worried voice asked her. "Yes, of course I can!" She exclaimed. "My mother's side relatives do that. I'm sorry. Sometimes we laugh silently so much that we can't breathe, and then we pass out. It's really quite hilarious, actually." She explained, a bit embarassed. She stood, and she walked to her mech, brushing the forest dirt off her uniform.   
  
She got in the mech, and it activated. She was flying with them all, high in the sky, tracking the position of Zaibach. Good God, I need to get changed, She thought. She didn't realize she'd said it out loud. Somebody's voice came on the radio, and very much in a joking way, said, "Hey, can I watch?" She was embarassed for a second, and then thought, So like a guy.  
  
A resounding crash echoed through her auditory sensors, and one of the Dragonslayers was spiralling uncontrollably to the ground. "Computer, who is that falling?" She asked. Dragonslayer Gatti. The Libreia replied. "I should have guessed." She said to herself.   
  
"Dilandau, did you hit Gatti just now?" She asked into the radio. "I... Um... Gatti?" Was the only reply she got. She rolled her eyes. She stooped into a dive to catch Gatti as he fell, tumbling towards the ground, his primary flight engine punched clean through. She spread the Libreia's dragon wings to brake as she caught him. The Libreia was working hard to regain a bit of altitude.  
  
"I think I love you," Said an enthralled Gatti as she pulled him up, back into the sky. 'What was that!?" Came an destraught, defensive voice. The Oreides was plummeting, aimed straight for Gatti. She covered him with the body of her mech, still trying to raise him. The Oreides, pried her off as gently as he could, not even scratching the paint job on the Libreia. "Dilandau!" She shouted. "You'll kill him! Stop!" She called. The Oreides' guns still powered up. "Dilandau, he's one of your own! Stop!" She yelled. The spinning turbines of the gun that were glowing with charged power slowed in their rotations, and the glowing faded. Dilandau let the mechanized arm drop. He didn't say a word, but released him roughly, letting the blue mech drop out of the sky. She prepared for another dive.   
  
"No, Gabrielle. Let him drop." Dilandau said over the radio. "He'll die!" She said worriedly. "No, he won't. He can deploy from the suit before it hits the ground. I'll send someone back to get him later. He deserves to have his mech wrecked." He said haughtily. "Dilandau, that's not fair. What did he do?" She said defensively. "Please, Gabrielle, it's... I... Well, I... And, um... He... He reasoned, halting and nervous at saying it.   
  
"It's because Lord Dilandau feels for you. A lot... In fact, he may not even know it yet, but he might-." Guimel said to her. "You want to join him, Sheep Boy!?" Dilandau roared back at him, the gun recalibrating for Guimel's mecha. "No, sir! Not at all, sir!" Guimel replied. "Then shut your mouth and do not attempt to say what is in my head." Dilandau growled back. He headed back in the direction of the base.  
  
Gabrielle suddenly got a burst of energy, and she had a yearning to cimb higher in the mecha. She flipped it upside down for a moment, barrel-rolled a few times, and then flipped through her CD's. She put on one she had burned at home, and put up the volume, putting the radio's channel on standby.  
  
"You and me, baby, ain't nothin' but mammals, so let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel!" She sang, as she weaved inbetween the plain arrow formation of the blue mechas. She doubled back and circled precisely around each mecha individually at high speed, and then dropped straight down for several hundred feet, and shot back up. The song ended.  
  
"Hey, what's a 'Discovery Channel?'" Asked a voice. "Gah! You weren't supposed to hear the song!" She said. "Well, I intercepted your computer's sound emissions. It's the same sound quality. I like your choice in music. That song's funny. Play another one!" He demanded. "Damn, who is this, Migel or Dilandau? Your voices sound similar on the radio." She said. There was laughter. "It's me." He said. She smiled. "Who's 'me'?" She asked. "Guess." He said. "I hate guessing games. You're acting immature, so I'd have to say Migel." She said with a smile. "I'm hurt. You're wrong." He said, and he laughed. "Anyways, you didn't explain. What's a Discovery Channel?" He asked. She tried her best to explain.  
  
"Um, okay... Put on another song." He demanded. She turned up the CD player. "Okay." She said, and the computer alerted her that he had begun to intercept her signal. "Computer, why didn't you tell me this when he did it the first time?" She asked. Sensors did not indicate any interception of signals from outside parties. The Libreia responded. "Oh. Okay then." She said, and continued her crazy flight pattern, like a flitting sparrow, circling and diving. She put on another song, and before very long, they were at the base.  
  
She stepped into the docking bay, all her energy spent. Her thoughts returned to her family and friends that were gone forever. She was walking to her quarters down the long hallway. She started to hum a tune, 'Beautiful Things.' She punched in the combination on the lock, and she stepped in the room. She lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She looked at the desk next to her, and noticed there was a corner of a piece of paper peeking over the edge of the desk that she could see. She pulled it off and opened it. There were actually two pieces, and she read the first one.  
  
Registered Pilot No. 68372  
  
It has come to our attention that you have recently broken curfew rules. It has also come to our attention that you did not know that these rules were in effect. We would like to caution you against breaking curfew hours. As further breakage of this rule will not result in 'correctionals,' however, for your personal safety, we do ask that you do not break curfew rules again.  
Curfew times are between 0200h - 0800h. Thank you.  
  
She made a mental note of the times the curfew ended and began. She folded the sheet up and placed it back on the desk. She flipped open the next. It was only a blank piece of paper. She placed it back on the desk, and she looked around the room. She carefully disrobed down to her underclothes, and then changed those for some clean ones. She put those on and slipped into the bed. She was tired. She set the alarm for three hours later. 


	9. Chapter 8

Dilandau was sitting in his quarters. He was puzzling over something. He eventually walked over to the computer terminal near the corner of his room. He flicked it on. "Voice control and operation." He said it. He didn't feel like typing in everything.  
  
"Computer. Define the emotion called 'love.' Tell me how one can figure out if one has... 'fallen' in love, as they put it. Can you do that?" He asked it in a calm, casual voice. Yes, I can. Computing... It said. He could wait. Processed. It said finally.  
  
The love felt between a boy and girl, or man and woman, respectively, can be described in many different contextual ways. Philosophically, simply one example cannot be found. Scientifically, it is classified as a chemical reaction, that occurs when two or more chemicals mix in a certain part of the brain, like all other emotions are. This is still a theory. Biologically, it can be described as the process of reproduction. Basically, it can be described as when one feels an intense positive feeling towards another. The computer explained as Dilandau listened attentively.  
  
"So... How does one find out if one is in love with another?" Dilandau asked the console, as he commanded it to print the paragraph. It computated his question. Dilandau was now sitting right in front of the screen, staring at it as it's words formed on the screen, and as it spoke them.  
  
Question successfully computated, but there was an error. File not found. It said, and Dilandau grew so angry with it that he drew back his fist and punched in the screen. Sparks flew. Now how was he supposed to find out if he was in love with Gabrielle? He read the computer's printout over and over again. He was going to need a new computer. Again. But, he needed one now. He thought rapidly of where there was another computer. Gatti had one. But, he didn't want to be in Gatti's room. He'd probably end up busting his computer, and Gatti needed his computer. His had the most sophisticated technology on it, things that he had made himself.  
  
He pondered for a moment more. He then got up and left his quarters, headed for Gabrielle's. The he realized he couldn't use hers if she was there. The Oreides. It had a central computer that could be connected to the mother computer, and what was more, he could make the connection scrambled so that nobody save himself could view or intercept what he was doing. He had the authority to do it. So, he changed direction and headed towards the docking bay.  
  
  
Gabrielle was sitting in her quarters. There was a beep on the panel on the wall. Someone was calling her. She pressed the button. "Gabrielle, here," She said to it. Dr. Jerrick's sharp, crisp voice spoke. "Good. Gabrielle, come down here. You must test you on your fighting skills outside of a mech." He said to her. "That's all, sir?" She asked, nervously. She didn't want any more needles. "Yes, Gabrielle. That is all. Come immediately." He said, and disconnected the 'Com line. She stood.  
  
She got dressed again, and pressed the door release, locking it behind her, and walking down the hall. She wondered what training she'd have to do. She wasn't looking where she was going, just following the path that Dilandau had shown her to the battle grounds. She bumped into somebody.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm clumsy. Are you alright?" She asked rapidly, and she saw Dilandau looking back at her, calm and collected. "It's okay." He said. "Where are you going?" He asked. "I was called down for training." She said. "Oh, I see. Well, you're going the wrong way. It's in the direction of the docking bay. I'll show you." He said. "Okay." She said, and she followed him.  
  
"What kind of training am I going to do, do you know?" She asked. "Hand to hand." He said flatly, looking straight ahead. "Oh," She said. She got the impression he didn't really want to talk. Either that, or he was thinking of something else.  
  
They came to a hallway. "This is where the girls enter." He said. She looked at the door. It hadn't been used in a long time. "Doesn't anybody clean this?" She asked. "Well, you're the only girl here in years." He shrugged. "No one saw to it to clean something no one used." He said. "Best not to keep the Scientists waiting. Good luck, Gabrielle." He said. and when he turned away he added very very quietly, "My love." He didn't even realized he'd said it. What? He asked himself. I don't even know yet! What is up with that?   
  
"Did you say something?" She asked. "Oh? I said... 'Buy gloves.' I was just reminding myself. This pair is old. Hard to hold a sword with them." He said. "Oh," She said with a smile. "I'll see you later." She added, and she clicked off down the hall towards the battle grounds.  
  
She opened the doors to the room, and Dr. Jerrick was standing there, along with several other associates of his. "Gabrielle, stand outside, in the arena. Your opponent will be with you in a moment." He said, and he pointed to a door. She stepped outside.  
  
It was a massive room, and it reminded Gabrielle of a colosseum. She stood in the middle, the dust swirling all around from the breeze. She looked up. The arena was outside. It was on one side of the massive floating city. She watched the sky, feeling the breeze stir her hair. It had been a long time since she'd actually stopped and looked at the sky. She used to do it all the time. Back home...  
  
"Have you chosen her opponent?" Dr. Jerrick asked another scientist, who sat in front of a console. "Yes." Replied the other, and he reached over and punched in a few programming lines. "What level?" He asked Dr. Jerrick. Dr. Jerrick half smiled. "Full." He said. "Sir?" The other asked. "Confirm it. I said 'Full.' What I say is what I mean. Do it." He said. "Okay." The other said, and pressed a button.  
  
A door opened all the way across the arena. Gabrielle turned and faced the opening door, drawing her sword. She peered across the long distance to the door, inside the gloom. A figure emerged from inside. It put one foot into the light. She could see the toe of a red boot. She heard the sing of metal being drawn out of a sheath. A low laugh floated across the distance between them.  
  
She was puzzled. The voice was familiar, but the tone of the laugh was not. It was a maniacal, insane laugh, that seemed to come from someone who had completely lost their mind. The figure emerged from the shadows, and she was confused. It was Dilandau. He gave a menacing, dark grin and lunged forward, swinging his sword high up above him as his long strides chewed up the distance between them in a matter of seconds. She blocked his blow, and watched several sparks fly from the clang of the two metal blades. He faked to slash down to her legs, and then thrust upwards, slashing her across the right cheek of her face. The cut wasn't deep, but it was bleeding a lot. The blood dripped down from the left side of her face. It stung.  
  
She was shocked, but continued to block his parries and slashes. He laughed insanely and tried to cut her from the belly all the way up, like a fish getting gutted. She continued to block him. He aimed a punch, and she stopped his fist with the flat of her blade. His blade nicked her on her hand. She leapt back from him, her hand beginning to bleed. He'd cut her left hand, and it was bleeding a lot more than her face. "Dilandau, why are you hitting me?" She asked him in a frightened voice as she blocked yet another of his slashes.  
  
"Moero!" Was all he answered. Burn? She translated. He cut at her again. He suddenly stopped in midair. He hung there, suspended, it seemed, by some invisible thread. Nothing on him moved. The image of him flickered, and she moved out of the way. The image restabilized itself, and motion continued. His blade dug into the earth. This is a computer! She realized. He's an image! He's not alive! Her mind clicked into high gear. Time to kick some binary-code butt. Serious digital ass. She said in her mind, and she smiled just as insanely as he had, and thrust forward, catching him off-guard.   
  
She cut him on either arm, rammed him in the stomach and kicked him between the legs. His eyes crossed and he fell to the ground, hunched over. He lay on the ground for a moment. She had her sword to his neck, pointed in the base of the throat near the collar bone. She stood there for a moment, and then turned quickly on her heel and marched back to the scientists.  
  
"Okay, that's enough. We see that you could have killed him had the need arisen. Why did you not act offensively near the beginning of the battle?" He asked. Gabrielle looked back at him. "Because I did not know it was a fabrication of reality. I didn't want to hurt my commander. His life is more valuable than mine to the Empire. If anyone were to die, it should be me instead, for I am worth nothing." She said flatly, betraying none of the other emotions or other reasons she felt. "It is good you think that way. That's the way we try to get our soldiers to think. Like a machine." Dr. Jerrick said, half to himself. "You may go back to your quarters." He said, and showed her the door. "We'll be seeing you soon." He said, belying a dark tone in his voice. She almost shuddered, but caught herself as she left.  
  
While this was all happening, Dilandau was in the Oreides, typing and talking to the computer, which did it's best to help him. It came up with something eventually, but it looked foreign to Dilandau. H elooked it over. There were plenty of bright columns and the lettering was different colours in parts. At the top of the page, was a small logo that read "Bliss."   
  
The title was supposedly a quiz on how to find if you really liked someone a lot. He began to read the awkwardly phrased questions, wrinkling his brows when he didn't understand the language. It said it came from someplace called 'London.' Dilandau figured this must be somewhere in Fanelia. That would make up for all the strange abbreviations and language words that he didn't understand.  
  
"Computer, what does 'Gissa snog' mean?" He asked, completely lost. Term unknown, The computer replied. Perhaps it is some form of expression. It suggested, and Dilandau continued to read. "This is absolutely hopeless. I don't understand this. The language is confusing, and the context is unfamiliar. Why me!?" He cried, and the computer, taking this as a question, replied, I don't know. You are an officer. Maybe this is one of your missions. "What?" Snapped Dilandau, and the computer repeated itself. He lifted his fist to bash in the monitor and rip out a few cords, when he stopped himself mere inches before the screen. "Damn. I've already done this today. History repeats itself, and if I bust this one, it will be a lot more expensive. Damn you. I'll spare you, you piece of crap." He snarled at it, and as he got up to leave, the computer said, as the doors were closing, Thank you. In a flat tone that somehow managed to sound mocking. He made a face and a rude gesture at the machine, and turned and left.  
  
He ran his thoughts over in his head. I'm just going to have to find out myself. But that's impossible. I don't understand emotions. He sighed as he walked. Fine. He didn't concentrate on where he was going, and and ended up standing in front of Gabrielle's door. I wonder when we can do that ... Thing... That I like... What was that word she used? ... Oh yes. 'Kissing.' Yeah. That was the word. I wonder when I can do that again... He thought boyishly to himself as he pressed the button on the door that gave Gabrielle an alert at his prescence.  
  
She released the door, and he stepped in. She sat at her desk, busily wrapping her arm with something. He noticed a few drops of blood on the shining, polished black surface of the desk. The dark red was illuminated by a single, dim light to the side.   
  
"What happened?" He asked, betraying only a fraction of the concern that he actually felt. He knew they were being watched. "Oh, I was hurt in training. I thought it was you, so I only blocked the blows. I missed a few. I eventually noticed that it was only a program, and ... Well let's just say I beat it." She said. He nodded. "Good job." He said. He noticed the cut on her face. He hadn't seen it before. It was on the opposite side of his scar. "Let me see the cut on your face." He said. "... Okay." She said and she turned towards him. He looked at it a bit closer. "It might leave a very faint scar, but chances are it'll go without a mark." He said. "That's good." She replied, and her attention wavered to the blood on the desk and on her arm, and the tears in the arms of her uniform.   
  
"Damn, I need to clean this place up. I need to clean myself up." She said, resting her hands on her hips as she surveyed heself and the room. "I feel filthy." She added. "Where are the showers?" She asked. "You do have showers, don't you?" She asked. "Of course," He replied. "Just because we're boys doesn't make us dirty." He said. "Your showers are down the hall to the left. But, they're only two minutes long, and with cold water." He explained grimly. "What!? Two minutes? How am I supposed to clean myself with cold water in two minutes?" She exclaimed. She sighed in frustration. She grasped the towel that had been given to her and started to make her way down the hall.  
  
"Wait," He said just as she was about to turn the corner. "My showers have warm water, and I can use them as much as I want. You could use mine this time." He said. "Oh, thanks so much for that!" She said. She grabbed her towel, and doubled back for the housecoat. "Do you have stuff to wash hair?" She asked him. "Yeah," He replied. "Great, let's go." She said, and they walked down the hall towards his quarters.  
  
They went inside the quarters, and he showed her the bathroom, standing there for a moment. "Well, are you going to watch or what?" She said sarcastically. "Um, well... I, uh..." He stamered, with lack of a comeback. "I was sarcastic. Go away." She said and kissed him on the cheek. He turned stiffly and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.  
  
"Finally." She said to herself quietly. It was the only time she'd been alone since she'd gone out in the mech or was asleep. It was nice to have some time to herself. She disrobed and placed her clothes in a near pile by the outside of the door. She turned the knob for the water and stepped into the shower, adjusting the heat.  
  
Dilandau sat on his bed for a moment, his hand on his cheek. I got kissed again, He realized. Wow, that took a minute. He thought as he smiled to himself. The strange sensation had returned, but he had suppressed it. He couldn't have piles of black feathers all over his quarters. What would he say? 


	10. Chapter 9

After about fifteen minutes, Gabrielle got out of the shower. She set to work drying off and making her hair fall into place, when she realized she'd forgotten the housecoat just outside the bathroom door. Perfect. She couldn't use the towel again, because it was soaking wet and she didn't have another one to dry off with. Great. She realized she'd have to venture outside and get the housecoat. She prayed it was only a foot or so away from the door, but she wasn't quite sure. She thought he'd left, because there was no noise coming from outside the bathroom door.  
  
She opened the door about to feet, and looked straight across the wall. There it was, sitting folded up on a chest a few feet across from her. She stuck her upper body out and rached for it, a little bit of the water dripping from her hair making a small plip, plip, plip noise on the linoleum just before the bathroom door. She had just about reached it, when she saw out of the corner of her eye, Dilandau.   
  
He was staring dumbly at her, his eyes widened just slightly, and he was blushing. "Gyah!" She yelped and snapped back into the bathroom faster than a retracting cobra, slamming the door shut behind her. Her heart was beating fast.  
  
"Um," He said. "You wanted your housecoat? Sorry, I didn't mean to..." He started. "Should I pass it to you?" He asked. "Yes, please, just don't look in, okay?" She pleaded. "Alright." He replied, and he picked up the silvery silk-like housecoat. He opened the door lightly. He swung his head around to look the other way, but by no fault of his own was a mirror placed where he was looking. He caught her reflection for just a split second, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Another very strange feeling welled up inside him, along with the regular feeling in his chest. This was too strange. It joined and merged with the regular feeling inside his chest, kind of tingly in a weird way. She took the housecoat and he stepped away from the steaming bathroom door's opening. He was breathing a bit quicker than normally.  
  
Good Gods! What was that!? He thought at himself. I... Still feel that feeling! What is it? He wondered, looking back at the closed door. I want to see her like that again... Why? I want to be with her right now... Right now. Now. Close. Very close. Extremely close. Why? Why? Argh! He exclaimed to himself. Why do I feel this way? Can't somebody tell me? He asked himself over and over, but he couldn't come up with an answer. That weird feeling was a little stronger. It grew inside him. He looked at the closed door again. No click of the handle. He wanted to be with her so badly. He stared at the doorknob. Still nothing. He wanted to so badly! He stared at it intensely, and the feeling grew. He tore his gaze from the door. A watched pot never boils. He reminded himself.   
  
He took up a bottle of wine and read the label. He popped the cork and took out a glass, several of which he kept in a drawer. He wasn't an alcoholic, but he liked red wine. He poured the dark red liquid into the glass, and then replaced the bottle on the rack. Absent mindedly he ran his finger along the crystal rim, making the glass hum. Click.  
  
The door opened, and Gabrielle emerged in the silver silky material housecoat, the top tied at a good tightness, but she still smoothed the flap over anyways. She was embarassed, and she didn't want a repeat. "I'm really sorry, I didn't notice you were still here. I embarassed you, and I'm sorry." She apologized. "Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't embarass me." He said. "You were blushing." She said flatly. "Well, I think that was from a different feeling." He said, and hadn't realized what he'd said. She blushed and looked away, and her hand rose up to cover her mouth and the bridge of her nose. "Oh!" She said. He cleared his throat. "Um. Want some wine?" He asked.  
  
"I don't really drink, but I'll try some." She said. He took out another glass and poured some. He passed it to her. "Thanks." She said as she accepted it from his hands. She took a very small sip, and winced at the sour, bitter taste that filled her mouth. She swallowed heavily. "You don't like it?" He asked with a tilt of his head. "I don't drink much, so I haven't developed a liking for it." She said shyly. She hoped she hadn't offended him. "Oh, it's just an acquired taste." He said simply. "What is it you don't like about it?" He asked, simply out of curiosity. "I don't find it sweet enough. It's too sour and bitter." She explained. "There are sweeter varieties. I just don't drink them. Some are too sweet." He said, and shrugged his shoulder.  
  
"I should get going back to my quarters." She said. "It's getting late, and I'm probably annoying you." She said. "Not at all, Gabrielle." He said. "I like it when you're here. You are the only person I can talk to." He said as he sipped the wine. "Thanks." She said shyly. "Stay as long as you want." He said. "I won't be offended if you want to leave." He added. She smiled softly.  
  
"So... How long are you going to stay for?" He asked. "I don't know. I can go if you want me to." She said quietly. "No, I want you to stay." He insisted. "Well," "Please. Just a little while. I have to go to the Scientists tomorrow morning... And... I want to see you. You... I don't know. Make me feel... Different." He said, choosing his words carefully, but still confused at how he phrased it. "I feel calm when I'm with you. Yet not. I don't know what I feel. I don't understand it." He said, dismissing his feelings. Gabrielle was silent. She didn't know what to say to this. She detected his nervousness.   
  
"I know what they're going to do, and having you around for a little while makes me feel better." He said, glancing at the wall. "What are they going to do to you?" She asked. "Jar my memory, try to make me remember where I came from. Test my limits for pain, and then make me see things, to find out what I'm afraid of. They drug me up and I don't know what I do or say at the time, but I remember it later. I'm not supposed to remember, though. I've never told about that. Anyways, they're going to hurt me again. Having you around for a while before it calms me down." He explained, and placed the empty wine glass on the little table by the bed. "Soon, they're going to do the same to you, I think. Make you like me. And I don't want them to." He said, with a concerned, dispaired look that she'd never seen before. "Oh, Dilandau..." She said very quietly, and his gaze turned to meet hers.  
  
Say it! His mind screamed at him. He suddenly found himself mute. Say it! Say it! Say it now! His mind burst insanely. He feared he might blush. He put one cold hand to his face, and he rested his elbow on his knee. As he looked at her in the silver patterned night coat, gazing softly back at him, the new strange feeling made itself known to him again. He found a want within him to touch her gently and kiss her. He found a want to tell her how he felt. Not a want... A need within him that was growing by the second. He sat cross-legged on the bed, just a few inches from her, who sat on the edge of it in a polite, good-postured position.   
  
One long leg was crossed over the other, and her hands were folded neatly in the long silver sleeves. Only her bare feet were exposed, her hands, and her head and neck, but he could see her shape. The ribbon was tightly secure about her waist, and the long, flowing dress part draped flatteringly over her slim form. Her hair was still slightly wet from the shower, and it hung softly, nicely combed at shoulder length. Her startlingly blue eyes looked out kindly at him. He looked at her sublime hourglass-like shape, and he felt he wanted to feel those curves. He needed to. He swallowed. Had those damned furnace workers turned up the heat in here? It felt warmer than normal... A lot warmer. The heat seemed to wash over him, and he let it.   
  
"Did anyone ever tell you that you're extremely beautiful?" He asked her in a small voice. She smiled shyly and looked at the floor. "No, nobody ever has." She said. "Well, they should. You are absolutely gorgeous." He said, not even knowing he said it out loud. She thanked him shyly with a little blush. He absent mindedly picked up the wine glass and made the rim hum again. "Habit?" She asked him with a small smile. "Hmm?" He asked. He was too infatuated.  
  
"You look tired, Dilandau." She said after a moment, a trifle unsettled by his fixating stare. She shifted her weight, and uncrossed her legs. "... Dilandau." She said. "Hnah?" He asked dreamily. He was drinking her all in, it seemed, watching with careful observance every move she made. "Dil-an-dau," She said in a sort of low sing-song voice. "Hello." She said. Still no answer. She moved closer to him. "Hey," She said softly, and his gaze followed hers. "Are you in a trance or something? What's wrong with you?" She asked him.   
  
"Nothing, Gabrielle." He replied decisively, as if very far off and it was hard for him to hear her and reply. He placed one hand on her cheek and kissed her slowly, loving every second of it. He pulled back, his eyes still shut gently. "I have waited almost all night to do that," He said, totally and completely in love with her, and what was more was that he didn't even know it. He still didn't understand his feelings, but he knew he felt them.  
  
The cut on Gabrielle's face stung intense and horrible. Yet, when Dilandau had touched it, the pain had dissipated altogether. Once he had brushed her cheek and let go, the pain began to steadily return. She touched it. It had a strange kind of pain, the kind where it is ticklish and feels like it's full of pins. She took her hand away, and there was some blood on the fingertips of her middle and ring finger. The tickly pain receded, and the sharp regular pain returned. The pain on her arm, where she'd also been cut, hurt less. It had stopped bleeding and she'd cleaned it well in the shower.  
  
"You should put a bandage on that. I had a cut like that once. It left this." He said disgustedly, as he pointed to the scar on the right side of his face. "It's hideous and I hate it." He said. "Oh, I don't know... I find it kind of... sexy." Gabrielle said in a soft tone. "I've always hated it. I treat it like a disfigurement." He said, and touched it. "Well, don't. Work with it." She said with a smile. "I'll have to get used to mine if it leaves a scar." She said, shrugging a shoulder.   
  
"Well, Dilandau, I'm very tired, and I should go now." She said. "Oh." He said, his mood falling. He looked so alone that she felt sorry for him. "Your clothes were laundered." He said sadly. "Thanks, Dilandau." She said. "Yeah. Well, I guess I'll go to bed, too." He said, covering his disappointment with a flat voice. She had realized that was how he disguised emotions. He talked flatly. He stood up. "You know where your quarters are now." He said, his voice as flat as ever. "They'll be delivered to your door in the morning so-" He hushed when she hugged him. "Takeru yume. Oyasuminasai." She said quietly to him in Japanese. It meant something akin to 'Sweet dreams and goodnight.' "I didn't know you co-" She kissed him, and he shut his eyes. She separated from him with a touch as light as that of a feather, and turned to the door.   
  
"Goodnight," She said, and left, leaving him standing there with a pile of raging hormones. He stood, rooted in the spot for a moment. He finally gathered his sense of reality and went to the bathroom to clean himself up before he went to bed. After a while, he came out of the bathroom in a different, informal pair of pants and slipped in between the silk covers. He had a partial to silk. He picked up a small book and began to write in it. After a few minutes of rapid writing, he replaced the book and pen in the drawer and leaned back, shutting off the light.   
  
He crossed his hands behind his head, and looked out the window in his room. It displayed a dark night sky. Clouds occassionally drifted by. He sighed. He watched the glittering stars for a moment more, and thought of Gabrielle before he went to sleep. His angel. His, and nobody else's...  
  
Gabrielle padded down the empty hallways at a slow pace. She wasn't in a hurry. Her feet made a very light noise on the cold ground. She shivered, and turned a hallway corner. She stopped for a second. The heavy silence seemed to weigh down on her, almost like it was a taboo to make a noise. She heard clicking footsteps behind her. She half turned her head. Someone in a blue and black uniform was walking down the hallway, his head down, muttering to himself. She resumed walking, and his head snapped up at the sound of shifting fabric.  
  
"Gabrielle!" The boy behind her said, surprised. "Yes?" She asked politely, turning to face him. "Oh, hello, Gatti." She said with a polite smile. "Hi. Why aren't you in uniform?" He asked, curious. "I just came back from the showers." She replied. "Now I'm heading back to my quarters." She explained. "Oh. I'm going to mine, too. I just got back... My mecha got a pretty hard punch in the engines today." He said, embarassed at the memory.   
  
"About what I said, I-" He started, glancing nervously behind him. "Gatti, it's okay. Dilandau's not around. Why do you bring this up?" She asked in a polite tone, suggesting that he could change the topic easily if he wanted. "I meant what I said to you." He said, and looked at the floor. A small blush appeared on each other's faces. "Gatti, I'm flattered. I really am," She said. He smiled shakily. "And I wanted to know if you would come with me to dinner sometime. Away from the group." He continued, barely able to spit it out.  
  
Uh-oh. What do I do? If I accept, I make him happy, but Dilandau will have poor Gatti's head. If I refuse, I crush this boy's feelings... And I know only too well what that feels like... Think fast, Gabrielle. You've always been quick on your feet... She thought rapidly, disguising her mental figuring with a smile and a polite bow as was customary. Gatti stood nervously, fidgeting and awaiting her response.  
  
"Please accept, Gabrielle. I just want to talk to you... And, um, maybe... Go out again... Sometime... Just to talk, you know." He said rapidly, but there was a hint of eager desperation in his voice. "Okay, Gatti. Just as friends, alright?" She said, and he nodded happily. "Okay! I'll go now... So, I'll see you this morning, and then we can eat together tomorrow evening?" He asked. "Yes. Sounds good, Gatti." She said, "I must be going now," She said, and she turned around, her combed hair swinging with the fabric of the dress, unwittingly amost making Gatti salivate.  
  
She went to her quarters and lay down. You cheat. A voice snarled at her. She disagreed with this voice. She wasn't even together with Dilandau, and she was only seeing Gatti as a friend. When Dilandau questions this, because it's only a matter of time before he finds out, Gabrielle would back up Gatti. She confirmed this, and fell asleep.  
  
In the morning, they were gathered around a table for breakfast. She waited patiently for the slop. Maybe, if she held her breath and plugged her nose, she could down some of the stuff. The meals were eventually served, and she stared at hers, her nerve lost.  
  
"My lord, do you think it's possible I could talk to Gabrielle alone this evening?" Gatti asked very quietly. Dilandau's eyes flicked up from the table to burn in his gaze. "Excuse me?" Dilandau said, standing up. "Repeat yourself. Clarify." He said, advancing towards him. Gatti repeated himself. Dilandau backed Gatti up a bit from the table. "Why?" He spat at Gatti, and Gabrielle stood up, unnoticed by the two of them. She went to stand by them. "J-just as friends, sir. I asked your permission. I just wanted to talk to her, sir." Gatti asked, and any lesser soul would have cowered. Dilandau seethed with rage at the very suggestion, and he aimed a slap. At that very moment, Gabrielle stepped in between them, and she voluntarily recieved the heavy slap meant for Gatti.  
  
Her canine tooth cut open part of the inside of her cheek from the impact, and she swallowed some of the metallic, salty blood. The pain from the wound inside her mouth and from the hard slap washed over her, the sting on her face remaining. Her head had snapped to the left when he'd hit her, and she could tell that the muscle was probably pulled. She let out a very small whimper and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the floor. Dilandau was absolutely horrified. He didn't know what to do.  
  
"I hit you." He said dumbly. She put one cold hand to her face that seemed to be gently pulsating with the hot aftermath of pain. Her mouth was still bleeding. She swallowed some more blood, but when she couldn't stand the taste anymore, she spat it on the floor. "Obviously." Gatti said. "It was just as friends, Dilandau." She said, some of her speech garbled because of the bleeding in her mouth. She stepped back from them. "Friends." She said, spitting out another mouthful of blood. "I'll be back." She said, and she walked out of the room.  
  
There was a stunned, angry silence amongst all of the Dragonslayers. Dilandau was stupefied at what he'd done. He'd hit her. He'd hit his angel. How could he? He hadn't realized she had been there until it was too late. Chesta fumed. He looked Dilandau square in the eye. "What!?" Dilandau practically shrieked at him. He turned to all of them. "It was an accident! I didn't mean to hit her, I-" He stopped talking. They all stared at him darkly. "I..." He trailed off, for lack of any further excuses. Gatti was the most angry of all.  
  
"She took that for me." He said, amazed. "But..." Dilandau said, almost underneath his breath. He lifted his gaze from the floor, looking quite lost. "She's mine..." He said, and looked into the doorway where she had gone. "She..." He started to say, and Gatti cut him off. "Is a beautiful, kind angel, unspoiled and true, and the likes of you don't deserve someone like that! Ever!" By the end of his statement, Gatti was nearly screaming. He was wild eyed, and his face had gone a little extra coloured. Dilandau stood stock still. One tiny muscle that controlled his bottom eyelid twitched, but not from anger. He blinked.  
  
"You're right." Dilandau said, so quietly that it was barely a whispered breath, but they heard him. He looked at the floor to his left. "You're right."He repeated. He took a step backwards. Gatti still stood, still pointing accusingly at Dilandau. "T-that's right, I'm right!" He stuttered, nervously saying this. Dilandau took another step backwards and paused. He looked at all of them again, staring with a cold anger he'd never seen before in them. "N-no, I-" Dilandau began. "Don't even speak, you filthy, mangy cur!" Gatti screeched, regaining his fury. Dilandau seemed to wince as if every word was a landed blow. "You could never understand something like that. She is beautiful, intelligent, and look what she did! She barely knows me, and she protected me. Someone like you could never understand that. Doubtless you are attracted to her, and I do not blame you for that. Every single one of us who sits in this room right now is. But I blame you for you. You! I can't even describe it! Simple words don't fill the blank! As I said, and I reiterate, you will never have her, because fate won't allow scum like you to have the privilege of being with such a beauteous creature! You didn't, don't, and never will deserve her." Gatti snarled at Dilandau, and he backed up further, his body cast into shadows.  
  
The room was silent. Not anything was heard, until the small, sharp intake of a breath, and the sound of a boot turning. Diminishing footsteps were heard, growing fainter and fainter into the darkness. A small, circular drop of water on the stone ground in the spot where Dilandau had stood was the only remaining sign of him. Just one, and no bigger than the size of a mouse's paw. The room stayed silent.  
  
"Gatti, was that really necessary?" Chesta asked in a lamb-soft voice. Gatti was shaking still, and he let his tensed body relax. "I don't know, Chesta. I don't know what made me do it. I just had to, and then the words were just coming forth. Chesta, he's going to kill me now. And what of Gabrielle? She'll hate me, too." Gatti's gaze fixed on the shadowy exit. "Where do you suppose he's going?" Dalet asked. "Don't know. Never seen him with... An emotion before, well, other than anger of course." Chesta said. "I don't think you should have said all that." Guimel finally spoke. "Well, no shit, Sheep Boy!" Migel roared at him, and then paid attention to the others' conversation. Guimel rolled his blue eyes and stood up, unnoticed. He followed the dark path Dilandau had taken.  
  
Guimel did his best to keep noise to a minimum, but just enough so that if Dilandau was ahead, he could hear him approaching. Guimel occassionally called out his master's name, but there was no reply, only an odd breeze now and then, sometimes an echo of a far-off noise.   
  
After about ten minutes more of wandering after his master, Guimel saw a brighter light through the dim passageways. The noises became a little clearer to him. He made no noise as he tread up to the light. He slowly and cautiously peered around the corner.  
  
There was a piteous sight, and one that made Guimel feel uneasy. His master had never done anything like this remotely. Ever. It was Dilandau, sitting on his knees in front of a statue. He was holding himself up with his arms. He was facing away from Guimel, and he observed that Dilandau's shoulders were shaking. He made a sort of coughing sound, although it wasn't coughing. Guimel listened closer. Dilandau was... Was... Crying. Dilandau shifted his weight and sat cross legged, his back still to Guimel, not noticing his prescence. He was trying to subdue his crying, but it wasn't really working. He held a hand over his own mouth, but that didn't seem to work much either. He rocked slightly forwards and backwards, still crying softly, his arms crossed, folded tightly to his body. His tall, thin frame looked smaller to Guimel as he looked upon him.  
  
Guimel backed up just as quietly as he had came, and when he was a fair distance away, he called Dilandau's name again, and made his footsteps quite loud enough that they were perfectly audible to Dilandau. "Dilandau?" He called. Dilandau's mind's eye seared and disappeared with that weird vision of the long haired little girl... So pale... "Oh, there you are. Dilandau, are you all right?" He said, pretending not to notice the obvious signs that he had been crying. Dilandau didn't answer.  
  
"Sir, Gatti's a love-struck idiot. Don't listen to him." He assured Dilandau. "I'm a love-struck idiot, too, Guimel." He replied flatly. "Or am I? I don't even know what I am anymore. My mind has been so warped and twisted, and I don't know what these feelings are... I'm a killer. I'm not supposed to care for people. At all. But I do... Why me!?" He ranted, almost to himself. "Because fate has made it so. Gatti didn't mean those things he said." Guimel said. "Yes he did, don't be an idiot. He's right too. Just look at her, she's-"   
  
"Yours." Guimel finished. "And we all know that, and all of us but Gatti respects that. Gatti is just jealous, and he's letting himself get carried away. He wants her too, yet he knows deep inside him that he's never going to get her. But, as human nature has always managed to prove time and time again, we always want most what we know we can't have. So, Gatti's trying to get her because he wants her." Guimel explained in a wise tone.   
  
"Now come back, Dilandau. Go ahead of me, and I'll pretend I never found you. Go back there and tell Gatti off. He's wrong. Also, apologize to Gabrielle. You know... In a nice way. Let Gatti talk to Gabrielle this evening. Gabrielle won't go farther than friends with him, even as much as Gatti will push it. Don't worry." Guimel told Dilandau, and swiftly added that these were only suggestions. "You know, Guimel, I should listen to you more often." He said. Guimel gave him a short bow.  
  
Dilandau started to walk down the long dim corridor back to where the Dragonslayers had been eating. They were all done their meals and gone. Dilandau walked into the room, and glanced around it. Everyone had gone, as he'd known, and there were blood spots on the floor.  
  
His gaze followed them out the exit Gabrielle had taken, and he followed them. Every few steps there was a very small spatter of bright red on the floor. With every step he took closer to Gabrielle's door, he felt more and more guilty. By the time he'd arrived there, he had a lump in his throat. He didn't know what to say to her, but he pressed the entrance request button.  
  
After a few seconds, the door hissed and drew up into the ceiling, revealing Gabrielle standing in front of him. she had a cloth up to her cheek, which was red with pain. She had stopped the bleeding, but her cheek still hurt. "I never meant to hurt you, Gabrielle. It was meant for Gatti, I didn't see you until it was too late... I-" He managed. "Please, come in." She said in a kind voice. He obliged, and the door closed behind him. 


	11. Chapter 10

"Are you hurt?" He asked. "The bleeding's stopped, and my cheek is still hot. But the pain is almost all gone now." She said, lying. It still hurt a fair amount, but she didn't want to complain. His hard gaze burning into her eyes made her almost want to revoke what she'd said. "Please, Gabrielle, don't lie to me. I'm good at telling when people are lying. It still hurts, doesn't it?" He implored.   
  
"No... Yes... I mean, yes. " She finally admitted, looking at the floor like a child who'd just been caught. The slap had reopened the sword cut, and it stung worse than ones given by paper. It had begun to heal over. "I'm sorry." He said genuinely. "I was acting... Strange. The thought of you being alone with Gatti just made me so... So..." He searched for the words. "Protective, angry, and jealous?" She offered. "Yes." He said. "Exactly."  
  
"It was only as friends. He said he wanted to talk to me." She insisted. "I know that now. But, I didn't then, and I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. It was supposed to be for Gatti." He said, and apologized again. "Hey, it's okay. I already accept." She said. He nervously hugged her. His arm, by accident, brushed the irritated cheek. "Ow," She said.  
  
"Oh! Did I hurt you? Oh, no. I didn't mean to!" He started again, and she shushed him. "It's fine." She said. "But-" "It's fine, Dilandau. Really. It only hurt a little, and I know it was an accident. Now, I hate to brush you off, but I have to go. They've asked me to go to training again. I'll be back this evening." She said, and the door behind them opened, so he and she could leave.   
  
"Are you sure it doesn't hurt that much?" He asked, concerned. "Yes, Dilandau. It's fine." She insisted. "You don't need anything." "No. I have to go now, I'll be back this evening, okay?" She finally said, and with a smile to him, she turned and was off. Migel had been walking down the hallway.  
  
"Lord Dilandau, you are so whipped." He said, once Gabrielle was out of earshot. "Whipped?" He asked, but Migel was already down the hallway. Okay... He thought to himself. Now, time to speak with Gatti.  
  
He started to walk down the same direction Gabrielle had, and he saw Gatti all the way down the hall. "Gatti!" He called to him, and Gatti froze in his tracks. Dilandau continued to walk until he reached him.   
  
"S-sir, if this is about-" He started. "No. I'm here to tell you I'm letting you go with Gabrielle tonight. But, if you make any moves on her, I swear, I'll throw your flea-bitten carcass off the edge of the Fortress and laugh at you as you fall." He snarled. Gatti shrank away from him. "Y-yes sir. Acknowledged, sir. Thank you, sir." Gatti said. "And," Dilandau continued. "You're taking her to L'Atoille tonight." He added. Gatti blinked. "L'Atoille? That's all the way to the far West sector... And it'll eat a pretty nice chunk out of my pay." He mumbled. "Do I hear the sounds of complaining? Because if I do, I could change my mind and have you thrown off the edge anyways..." He practically hissed. "What am I going to wear?" Gatti asked himself. "Something that goes well with dark blue and silver. Something... How to put it... Sharp." He said to Gatti. "How do you know what she's going to wear, my Lord?" Gatti asked, curious. "Because I just know, that's why. Be at her quarters to pick her up at the hour when the rest of us are eating." Dilandau replied with an air of cockiness.  
  
"Now go. You have to get something to wear. And remember, one move you put on her, and..." Dilandau made a gesture with his hand like a figure falling from a great height. "You'll take some flying lessons." He sneered. "Yes, sir!" Gatti replied enthusiastically, bowed, and turned and walked down the hall at a quicker pace.  
  
Since I have nothing to do... I should get Gabrielle's clothes ready. He thought to himself, and he walked down to the local seamstress. He formulated ideas in his mind as he walked. He suddenly snapped his fingers. He finally thought of something absolutely brilliant. He walked into the room, knowing exactly what he wanted. He could get the clothes from here... And the jewelery... Down in the southernmost part of the massive floating city.  
  
He swiftly placed the order to the seamstress, and he told her the time it needed to be ready by. He then weaved his way to the Rails, which were trains of cars that sped between the different sectors of the city. They rain along rails at the top of the cars, and could travel at impressive speeds. Some of the older models looked about as aerodynamic as a pillow, but even they could go at speeds of around seventy kilometres per hour. He could either use the Rails, or take a very long walk on the streets far below him, in the residential part of the fortress. He chose the Rails.   
  
He stepped in the first car that was headed to the South. It was a newer model, and this particular was so new that the interior still smelled like it. The car was completely empty except for him. He chose a seat and let his head rest against the glass of the window, gazing at the outside city, waiting for the slight lurch that would signify the car had begun to move.  
  
He was still jealous in a way of Gatti, but he kept in mind what Guimel had said to him. He didn't really know why he'd been so infuriated when Gatti had asked to be alone with Gabrielle. It had just made his blood boil with steaming anger. Come to think of it, he still didn't know how he felt about anything. It was all still a big, confusing labyrinth of a mystery to him.  
  
There was a series of almost musical whirrs. Three, each sounding low but going high in frequency, the next note starting lower. The car shuddered slightly as it began to move forwards. He watched the scenery shift slightly, and then faster as the car accelerated.  
  
The city was ugly in a beautiful way. Most of the colours were ranging browns and blacks, and a brownish light fog was covered over certain parts. The fog looked like it was poisonous, but it actually wasn't. It didn't smell any different than normal air, and there were no reaction to the people in the fortress to the gas.  
  
The car started to climb, following the rails as they ascended in front of them. A vibration rocked the glass on the windows. Another car screamed past them, heading for the North sector. A 'swoosh' noise announced it's departure as the tail end of the other Railer disappeared. Dilandau's gaze turned back to the glittering lights of the brown city of Zaibach. It would be getting to evening in a matter of hours. He had better hurry. He thought for a moment of all the places in the South that sold jewelery. He remembered the name and whereabouts of a well-respected store. He figured he should go there to get the things. He knew exactly what kind of things he had in mind.  
  
It's a pity I'll probably never see her in this outfit. He thought to himself sadly. Maybe... Maybe she'd go to a dinner with me... Then I could see her in it, He reasoned. Get a reservation at a ritzy kind of restaurant on the ground... He smiled to himself. Asturia has the best restaurants. Or so I've heard. we're flying over there... When was it? Two weeks ahead? I think so, because we pass Fanelia first.  
  
The car slowed, and it eventually stopped at a platform. The door opened, and he stepped out into the South sector. That ride was an hour? He thought. It seemed shorter than that to him. No matter. He voiced in his mind as he headed for the direction of the store he'd been thinking of.  
  
After a few minutes of walking the nearly empty streets, he finally came upon the jewelery store. He stepped into the store, and the person at the counter greeted him respectfully. He said hello, and then wandered over to the glass case with all of the necklaces in it. He found one that was absolutely perfect. "I'll take that one, please." He said, pointing at it. "Good choice, sir." The man said as he pulled it out. The man placed it in a small velvet lined box. Dilandau looked almost lazily at the rest of the things. Most were beautiful, but not beautiful enough.  
  
He walked past the earrings, and a pair caught his eye. They were perfect for her. "These, too." Dilandau said finally, after admiring the earrings for a moment. The man at the counter took them out and placed them in a separate box. He assured himself that those were good. He had to get going back if he was going to pick up the dress and deliver it in time. "Those will do." He said. "How much?"   
  
"Forty thousand credits." The man said. Most people would cringe at that cost, but Dilandau could make more than that in the space of time it took someone to go to the bathroom. "Okay." He said, and withdrew a small card. He placed it on the counter. The man took it and scanned the card, then passed it back. Dilandau put it back away. He took the two velvet boxes, thanked the man at the counter, and left, headed away. He still had two other stops to make.  
  
Gabrielle lay in her quarters, fresh as she could be from a short cold shower. She was only supposed to be alotted three minutes, but she had been allowed six for some reason. She was reading a book, absorbed in it. It was about the culture of the Melchian people, who lived high up in the mountains, above the mist. In their own tongue, Melchia meant 'Wolves of the mist.' The book said they were covered in fur, wore clothes somewhat like humans, and their faces were almost just like that of wolves. Their stature was typically long and lanky, and their eyes were human-like. Unfortunately, a majority of the Melchian people had been hunted down and destroyed by superstitious townsfolk that lived across from the mountains. They had recently been accepted as a sentient race. They'd been given rights the same as humans, and their population was growing.  
  
She was reading about the Melchian language and writing system when there was a buzz from the door. Her eyes flicked up from the book, which she placed a bookmark in, and she went to answer the door.   
  
There was nobody there, but a small box with a note. She picked it up and examined the box, trying to read the writing on it, but it was in a foreign language she did not understand. The note read,  
  
Wear this tonight. Gatti will be here to pick you up at the dinner hour. Sorry I didn't stay and talk, but I had to go. I'll see you tomorrow.  
  
She stepped back into her quarters and shut the door. She opened the box. At first she only saw two velvet lined boxes on something. She picked up the smaller of the two boxes and opened it.  
  
They were a pair of silver earrings. They were in the form of two phoenixes, their wings outspread. Their heads were turned to the side, and their eyes were of jet. In each of their beaks, they held small blue jewels that shone with bands of white when exposed to light. She gently closed the lid. Where had he gotten all this? She picked up the next box and opened it.  
  
It was a choker necklace made of dark blue velvet, with a shining white jewel inside a silver lining. The velvet had small silver leaves drawn into the centre of the strap that fastened about the neck. She shut the box again, and then realized there was something else inside the box. She lifted it up. It was dress, made of the same velvet shade as the necklace. It was strapless.   
  
There was also gloves that came up to her elbows, a slightly lighter blue in colour. A silk scarf the colour of the sky was also there, along with a tube of deep red lipstick and black boots that were the same size as her other boots. These went to just below the knee, and zipped up the side. The legs of the boots fit very nicely to her calves. She put all of this on, and did up her hair so that it was in a tight ponytail, and there was a small piece that hung gently curved and neatly tucked behind each ear. So, she sat like a proper lady on the chair beside the desk, and waited, politely reading her book.   
  
Gatti was nervous. He had to walk by the place where the rest of the Dragonslayers ate, and he'd have to face theirs, and Dilandau's, criticism. He blinked his blue eyes as he gathered the courage to walk across the room and out the other side, in the direction of her quarters. He sighed and stepped out into the room, walking across.  
  
"Looking sharp, Gatti!" Called Migel. "Yeah, it looks good, Gatti." Chesta seconded. Guimel nodded, and Dalet smiled at Gatti. Dilandau was silent, and as expressive as stone. Dilandau sat with his hands folded on the table, looking across at Gatti. Chesta turned and looked at Dilandau. "Well, my Lord, what is your judgement?"   
  
Dilandau looked up warily. He looked at Gatti. "Contrasts well. Go. She is waiting." He said, and then continued at being unexpressive and silent. "Okay, I'll be back in a while, guys." Gatti said. "Later, Gatti." All of them said at once, all except Dilandau.  
  
Gatti left the room, and headed down the hall. When he reached it, he pressed the button. After a few seconds, the door drew up, revealing her standing there. Gatti was speechless for a moment at the sight of her. My God, she's... Beyond words. Gatti thought as he blinked. Gabrielle was shy. "Um, where are we going? Why do I have to be dressed like this?" She asked very quietly, looking like a fantastically elegant bird afraid of it's plumage.   
  
"We're going to the West sector, about forty minutes away. We have to take a Railer. There's a place there that I'm taking you to. Come on. The table's reserved and if we're not there in time, they'll give the table away." Gatti explained. Gabrielle stepped out of her quarters, sealing the door behind her. They walked together to the Rails.   
  
"Gatti, what are these things you call 'Rails?'" She asked him. "They're a form of transport system. They're long strings of cars suspended by metal rails that span the distance from sector to sector. We call the cars Railers. The actual system is just called the 'Rails.'" He said as they stepped onto the platform. "L'Atoille has it's own Railer car. It should be here any minute." He added.  
  
"L'Atoille? Doesn't that mean 'star' in French?" She asked herself. "Oh, it's one of the ancient languages. Nobody knows where it came from." He dismissed it. "I can speak it. We have to learn it in school." She told him. "You can speak it?" He laughed a little. "That's romantic."   
  
"Um... Thank you?" She said, and Gatti laughed a bit. "Well, here's the car." He said as a fancy looking car screeched to a stop in front of them, the brakes at the top making a little shower of sparks. "Is it safe?" She asked as she looked at it. "Oh, yeah. Hasn't been an accident on one of these things in years. Some say it's safer than walking, where there's the danger of getting mugged."  
  
They stepped inside, and they chose seats. The car was very nicely designed, with red seats and real gold designs on the interior walls. She got the window seat. She gazed out at the metropolis splayed out in front of her. There was a series of humming noises as the engines started, and the car lurched slightly. It began to slide forwards on the rails. It swiftly accelerated to a very high speed, moving so smoothly that it felt as if they were barely moving at all.  
  
"So... How many languages can you speak?" Gatti asked, to make some conversation. "Four." She replied. "Which? You speak any more ancient languages?" He asked, very interested. "Well, I speak English, of course, and French, Norwegian, and I'm learning Japanese." She said. "Norwegian? I've never heard of it. I do know that Japanese is the second language here, all over the world. Though I've never heard of somewhere called Japan. Well, except for in myths and legends about the Mystic Moon."  
  
"I came from there. It's actually called 'Earth.'" She said. "Are you okay?" He asked her. "There's only one other that I know of who supposedly came from there... Her name is Hitomi. She's with that cursed White Dragon." He said hatefully. 


	12. Chapter 11

Back at the base, the Dragonslayers were all very quiet during dinner. Nobody really spoke any words other than "Please pass the water." They ate quietly, and even Dilandau only picked at his food. His thoughts, as they often were, dwelled on Gabrielle. It seemed every time he shut his eyes, there she was. He couldn't get her out of his head, and he didn't really feel he wanted to, either.   
  
"Lord Dilandau," Chesta began. "is Gabrielle coming with us on the mission tomorrow?" Chesta asked. "I don't want her to, but she has to. All of us have to go." He said in a hollow tone. "What do we have to do this time?" Chesta wondered aloud. "We're going straight into Fanelia. Wipe out anything and everything we can." Dilandau told him. "Oh." Said Migel. "And how are you going to tell Gabrielle that?" He asked. "Very carefully." Dilandau replied, and the others took it as a joke. "I'm serious, you fools." He said in a dangerous tone. All of them ceased laughing. He sighed.   
  
"She doesn't like it when we kill innocent people. I never used to care... But now, I'm not so sure anymore." He said, and the table grew even quieter. "So... You think you love her?" Migel said. "I don't know. I've never felt like this." He said, while looking straight across the table at the wall with unseeing eyes.  
  
"Well, do you always want to be around her?" Migel asked. "Yes." Dilandau replied. "You feel kind of... 'Giddy' when you are?" Migel asked. "Yes, if that's how you want to describe it." He answered. "Well, then you describe it." Migel said. Dilandau cleared his throat. "No thanks, Doctor Love." He said with a very small smile. "Well, it looks like Lord Dilandau actually has feelings about girls that the rest of us boys have." Migel said, faking surprise. "So, how far have you gotten?" "Migel, don't think I won't break that jaw again." Dilandau menaced. "Okay, okay..." Migel said defensively.  
  
"You know, you should take her to dinner sometime and tell her how you feel," Said Guimel, who had previously been silent, just listening. "I'll bet she'd like that." He added, and turned back to his bowl of food, half-finished. "What?" He asked innocently when he realized all the stares. "It's only a suggestion." He said, shrugging a shoulder.   
  
In the West, Gatti and Gabrielle got off the car and headed towards the L'Atoille. It was a massive building, elegantly structured. It had arches and curves, and the architectury was obviously done by a master. They walked in, and the person at the door showed them their table after Gatti had confirmed who he was.  
  
A band was playing soft music from near the front of the restaurant, and there were many people there, all as well dressed as Gabrielle and Gatti. She found that while all the women's dresses were vastly different, a lot of the men's clothing were very similar. The men were dressed in mainly blues and blacks, like the uniforms. These clothing were lacking the armoured plates and guards, but in their place were ornate designs. They were high collared, like the uniforms, and close fitting to the upper body. The pants that they wore were neat, and looser than the shirts. She noticed that all of the people in the restaurant were young, the oldest looking was probably twenty.  
  
They were seated at a table on the top floor, which had a clear ceiling. A crystal chandelier hung from the middle of the roof, casting a pleasant glow on the shining ground. The waiter said he'd be back in a few minutes to take their orders.  
  
"Gatti, why are we here?" She asked politely. "Well, before Dilandau nearly bit my head off, I wanted to court you. Well, in fact, I still do... Even more so now, but Dilandau said that if I made any kind of move on you, he'd have me thrown off the edge of the fortress. I know for a fact he's not bluffing, because a year or so ago he had it done to somebody. It wasn't a pretty picture." He said. "He had that done?" She asked. "Yes. Sometimes, we think he's insane... You should see how he gets when he's allowed to burn things to the ground. He's a pyromaniac. He's also never displayed any kind of emotion other than extreme anger. You seem to have brought out something good in him." Gatti said. "Um, thank you." She said, not knowing what to say.  
  
"And that's why I write poetry about you." He said with a soft smile. "Pardon?" She asked. "Yes, I've written poetry about you." He said. "I'm flattered." She said, and she truly was so.  
  
The waiter came back and handed them two menus. She looked it over. It was written in strange characters that she didn't recognize. She'd never seen them before. They look kind of like ancient Runes, She thought to herself. She looked at Gatti, who was reading it at a fast speed, occasionally pausing.  
  
"Gatti, I can't read this." She said softly. "Oh? Sorry." He said, and he pulled it flat so he could read it upside-down and tell her what the things were. He read and translated. "Okay, there's salads, and fish, birds, ... Blah, blah, ... You wouldn't like that... Got alcohol... Hmmm..." He was busy reading when she spotted a picture. "Pizza?" She exclaimed. "Yes. Pizza's a delicacy." He said. "What? Where I come from, you can get pizza just about anywhere." She said, amazed. "How much is it?" She asked. "Doesn't matter. Get what you want," He said. "Well, I guess I'll get pizza then." She said. "Okay." He replied.  
  
Most of the Dragonslayers had left the table, except Dilandau, who was still poking at the food, Migel, and Chesta. Migel sat avidly chewing on a wood toothpick, and Chesta was clearing the dishes.  
  
"Can I take the glass, Lord Dilandau?" Chesta sked politely. Dilandau snapped out of his train of thought. "What?" He asked. "I asked if I could take your glass for you, my Lord." Chesta said. "Oh. Yeah. Sure. Thanks." Dilandau said, and resumed thinking. Chesta and Migel looked at each other. "Dilandau said 'thank you!'" Chesta mouthed to Migel. "I know. He's been acting polite. I like it." Replied Migel. "Same." Chesta said as he took away another plate.  
  
"I'm going to go consult the L- The Oreides about something." Dilandau said absently. Migel smiled. "You mean, you're going to go ask the Libreia what Gabrielle thinks about you. It'll answer to the best of it's ability because it's her mecha! You know that as well as we do, my Lord." Migel laughed. "Don't get smart with me, Migel." Dilandau snapped. "Yes sir," Migel said, and when Dilandau had his back turned, Migel made a face at him. Dilandau turned, and Migel sat innocently in the chair exactly as if he'd never moved.  
  
Dilandau squinted at him suspiciously. "Migel... You're in charge. I'll be back in a while." He said carefully, and turned back away and walked down the hall. Chesta and Migel shared a smile after he was gone. "He is so whipped." Chesta said. "I know! I said that." Replied Migel. "I just hope he finds the answer he's looking for." Chesta added, and then stepped in the kitchen to wash the dishes he'd just collected.  
  
Damn, how'd Migel guess? Dilandau wondered. Ah, it was probably my slip of the tongue. Damn. I'd better not be losing face! He thought. He headed around the corner, and up the ramp, into the massive doors of the docking bay.  
  
He moved catlike along the rows upon rows of mechas, until he came to the lineup that was his squad's. The Libreia sat in stasus, charging from the power supply it was connected to. It's red eyes were sealed shut with a type of shutter that one would find on a camera, because that was exactly what it was. He stepped up directly in front of the gigantic red dragon mecha, poised in front of the thing's pointed nose. He touched the tip of it's beak-like upper jaw.  
  
"Libreia," He said to it. The thing didn't move, but he thought he heard a click somewhere deep within the mechanical beast. "Libreia?" It still didn't move. "Come on, I know you can hear me. You're listening, I can tell. Look, I need to know something very important, and only you can tell me." He said, expressing emotion in his voice, almost hesitantly. Unnoticed to Dilandau, one of the camera-shutter eyelids on one of the red eyes twisted and opened slightly.  
  
"I know that you have the same thing as the Oreides does. You're bonded with her, and the Oreides is to me. You and the Oreides always know what Gabrielle and I think, what we know, everything. That's partly why we can control you so well. You know that."  
  
What is it you wish to know, Commander Dilandau? The Libreia's sudden voice startled Dilandau. "Good, you were listening," He said. I am always listening. It replied, and Dilandau got the strange feeling that 'it' was, and should be called, a 'she.'   
  
"I... I want to know... W-what Gabrielle thinks of me." He said in a lowered voice. I should not tell you. That is personal information. Why don't you simply ask her yourself? 'She' replied with a question. "Because I don't know how." He said stubbornly. You are fluent in English. You asked me the same thing.   
  
"I know that, it's just it's more complicated than that. I could never expect you to understand..." He said. Oh, but I do. You see, I am her, and she is me. I know exactly what you mean. She still does not know that I am connected with her. Therefore, any information I give you would be completely unbeknownst to her... But, I should not. It is against regulations. The Libreia said.  
  
"Please, Libreia." He asked 'her,' involuntarily leaning slightly harder on the dragon as he attempted to get to eye level. The Libreia moved her head down and glared him in the eye with her clear, orb-shaped red eyes. The way the light played in them reminded Dilandau of how Gabrielle's eyes had sparkled when she watched the fire... The Libreia was silent for a moment, seemingly studying him.  
  
Gabrielle thinks you are very attractive. However, she is somewhat intimidated by you, and she doesn't know how to act around you. If you were to sum her feelings about you in one word, it would be 'hesitant.' She wants to know you better, because she likes you more than she shows to you. She hopes that she will know you better, and she often thinks of you, even though she is afraid. She said, and Dilandau listened attentively.  
  
"Afraid? Afraid of what?" He asked finally. She is afraid that you will not feel the same as she does, and that you will push her away. She knows you kissed her, but she doesn't know if that is just because you're lonely, or because you really like her. She feels lost and afraid, and she feels completely alone. All her friends she used to know are gone, and she knows she'll never see them again. She never says anything because she doesn't want to cause a problem to other people. She is too used to just listening to other people tell her their problems. But really, inside, she always feels like she could break down and cry. She has no one to cry to, so often at night she cries herself to sleep. Dilandau listened to the mecha speak, and he could almost feel Gabrielle's pain as her story was being told. Will this information suffice? The Libreia asked.  
  
"One more thing. How does she feel about ... Gatti?" He asked, trying to mask his feelings. She finds Private Gatti respectful, charming, attractive, and easy to talk to. She is speaking to him currently. She is flattered by him. However, she is holding back from him. The Libreia explained. Dilandau's heart fell, but he felt a glimmer of hope at the last sentence. "Why?" He asked.  
  
You. The Libreia said, as if she were speaking to an incredibly thick child. She doesn't want to attract Gatti, because she doesn't want Gatti to do anything that would make you hurt him. She said. "Oh." He said in a small, disappointed voice. "So... She likes Gatti more than me?" He asked, half to himself. I was not finished. She also wants to be with you, but she doesn't know, as I said before. She has a kind of 'crush' on you. She values Gatti as a friend for now. May I add a suggestion? She asked, and didn't give him time to answer, just in case he refused. Tell her how you feel. The Libreia said plainly. Before you regret your silence. She desperately needs someone to be close to, and I can tell by your tone of voice and the practical dents you are making in my nose that this is important to you. Please. She needs to hear it, and you need to tell her. I can also tell by your voice that you care for her more than you know yourself. She said, and he could have sworn that Libreia had smiled. But that was impossible. Her mouth was just hinged metal...  
  
"Do I love her?" He asked, looking the Libreia deep in her crimson eyes. With a slight mechanical whine, she brought a single claw forward. I cannot tell you that. You will know here. She said, and the claw stopped with computerized accuracy at the exact point that his heart was beating inside his chest. Or so they say. She said. "How will I know?" He asked, not really expecting to get an answer. You just will. Nobody can describe it, as you have read. That is why there are no files stored on the mother computer. To many theories, too many philosophies. You will just know. She said. They are done eating. They will be back in approximately one hour, if my estimates are correct. Now go, and wait for her, and tell her. I'll know if you don't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to get back to listening to her music. I rather like it.  
  
"Thank you, Libreia. Please, delete file of this conversation." Dilandau said as the Libreia retracted the long, sharp claw. File deleted. She said, and Dilandau thanked her again and walked away.   
  
Within the cockpit, a small computer alert displayed to nobody, 'File Saved.' The Libreia curved her neck back to it's graceful swan-like position, pleased with herself. A music file began to play, inaudible to anyone but the robotic creature herself. 


	13. Chapter 13

As Dilandau walked absently through the halls, wondering where to go, he reviewed what Gabrielle's mecha had said to him. He remembered every word. It pained him that she might like Gatti better, and that she felt intimidated by him. He wanted to protect her, not make her feel afraid. His heart seemed to ache within him. He felt sad. The Libreia had said she'd felt alone... Like me... He related. But he realized that she felt more alone than he ever would. He just didn't know how he was supposed to tell her how he felt, when he couldn't find the words to describe it to himself.  
  
He wandered aimlessly for two hours, completely forgetting about everything. He walked out on a bridge that was exposed to the direct outside. It joined two complexes. He stood in the middle and watched the clouds below him twist and turn endlessly as they went by. They looked like a massive sea, but white and blue with the moonlight. The breeze changed direction and headed for him, stirring his hair and making his cloak gently begin a flaring movement behind him.  
  
He watched the clouds and listened to the wind whisper for a moment more, trying to decypher what it was saying, but in vain. He slowly made his way back to where he'd come from, heading towards his quarters. He heard a very soft noise. He ceased movement, and even held his breath for a moment, listening. He heard it again. He headed for the noise, pausing every so often to hear for it. It was very late at night, so the long corridors were practically silent, with the occasional far-off echo. He heard the soft noise again, and it seemed fairly close by. He heard the opening of a door, and the hissing as it shut. It then occurred to him that he was near quarters. There were footsteps coming in his direction.  
  
There was a small hallway next to him that harboured a computer terminal; He could duck in there unnoticed and let the person pass. He did so silently, and pretended to be typing on the computer, lest they see him. He waited there for only a few moments until the footsteps grew slightly louder, announcing the prescence. He turned his head just in time to see Gabrielle walk past, changed into a newly washed uniform. Where could she be going? He wondered.   
  
He cautiously stepped away from the computer terminal and back out into the hall. He began to follow her, quietly as he could. She stopped and listened. She shook her head to herself and continued walking. He followed at a fair distance, making sure she never heard, nor saw him. She walked down the curved stone walls, lit by torches placed every few metres. She eventually came to the door that led outside to the bridge. She opened the door and shut it gently behind her.  
  
He weighed his options. He could go immediately after her, but then she would know she'd been followed. But what if she was going to jump off the bridge? She wouldn't do that. Would she? The Libreia's words came ringing back to him "... You need to tell her... " He could wait for a moment and then go outside... That would be better. Then she wouldn't think she'd been followed. Then again, she wasn't stupid. She could more than likely put two and two together and figure out he'd tried to dupe her by waiting... So then he should go right now. But... How would he explain that he'd followed her? He didn't quite know himself. Then tell her that, you tongue-tied idiot. Said a harsh voice in his head. He took in a deep breath, and then walked down the last section of the hall to the doors.  
  
She was standing in the middle of the bridge, exactly like he had done earlier, staring at the endless expanse of clouds and sky. The wind whipped her hair behind her, and she had her head at such an angle from him that she didn't notice him opening the door. She was talking to herself, and the wind snatched her words away from her and onto the breeze. He only caught a few disjointed whispered words. She sighed and faced straight ahead, her eyes closed.  
  
He cleared his throat. She spun around to face him, her arm forming an automatic guard. She recognized him, and her guard relaxed. "What are you doing out here?" She asked him. The cold was beginning to get to her. "Watching you." He replied, his arms crossed. "Why? Why are you watching me?" She asked. "Well... Because I noticed something was wrong. You look sad lately. Did something go wrong with Gatti?" He asked, and involuntarily his right hand formed into a fist at the thought of him.  
  
"No, I-" She shivered. "I just miss home, that's all." She said rapidly. "Why don't you tell people?" He asked. "Because I don't want to be a problem." She reasoned. "Well, you're not a problem. Come inside, you're cold. And... I have something to tell you." He said. "I like it out here," She replied, but she could not hide her shiver. He stood beside her. "I like it here too. Please, come inside." He said as he took her hand very gently. She looked down at her hand. It looked so small compared to his. Her hands, in reality, were actually quite large, but they seemed almost dwarfed.  
  
"Big hands... Kind of run in my family." He said. Not that he really remembered much else about his family. Her hand was spread against his, and she noticed that his were about two digits bigger than hers. He folded his fingers down inbetween her own and stepped back towards the door, pulling her in with him. Her hair settled back into place with the sudden abscence of the breeze. She looked up into his eyes, with such a look of despair and utter loneliness it almost made him feel it as well.  
  
"Please don't be so sad." He said, almost like it was an order. Her gaze slid away. "Why?" She asked innocently. "Because it makes me so." He explained. "Please?" He asked her, trying to get her gaze back. "I'll try." She said with a small smile. "What was it you wanted to tell me?" She asked him, and she looked back at him. "I... That... That we have a mission to go on tomorrow morning. We have to get up very early. You should get to sleep now." He said. "Yeah." She said in a small, alone voice, and she gently released her hand from his. She smiled, but it wasn't a true smile. She gently turned from him and began to walk to her room, her hand gently rising to hold her shoulder. It made her look very small.  
  
Good going, idiot. Don't just stand here, say something to make her feel better! He looked back at her. She had begun to turn the curved halls. He caught up to her. "I want to stay with you." He said. "Uh! I mean, until you get to your quarters." Even though I want to spend the night by your side to keep you safe... He continued in his mind. "Okay. You can stay for a minute and talk when we get there if you want." She said.  
  
His heart leapt. Quarters aren't monitored past midnight... I could stay... If I play my cards right. I don't care if I have to sleep on the floor. I want to stay and watch her. Keep her safe. Just what to say? He wondered.  
  
They arrived at Gabrielle's door. "Are you going to stay for a while?" She asked. "If you want me to," He replied. Yes! Yes I am! Yes! The voice in his head echoed his true feeling. She opened the door and she stepped in first. He followed, and she shut the door. She took off the outer cloak portion of the uniform so she was in the shirt and pants. She also took off the boots and placed them neatly by the door, hanging up the cloak. She then walked back and sat on the bed, resting her chin on her hands and watching him as he sat down at the chair by the desk. She was growing more and more tired by the minute, and Dilandau observed this. He took a quick glance at the timepiece on the desk. Four hundred hours.  
  
She yawned. "What's the mission tomorrow?" She asked, to make conversation. "We're to go into Fanelia." He said simply. "Oh." She replied sleepily. "Where's that?" She asked. He flicked on the desk light and shut off the main one. "It's a large country mainly surrounded by forest. Land wandering dragons abound in that part of the world. Ruffian country if you ask me. To become King, a prince has to first go and slay a dragon to retrieve it's Energist." He explained. "What's an Energist?" "An Energist is a type of crystal. Dragons have a natural type of them in the centre of their bodies for hearts. We use them to power mecha suits. We can also mine Energists, too. The most powerful Energists come from Dragons. Both the Libreia and Oreides have dragon Energists, interestingly enough."  
  
"Uh-huh." She agreed, blinking slowly. Not much longer now! He thought gleefully. His plan was going to work. I'm going to stay! She shifted and lay down on the bed, her eyes still open, watching and listening to him in the warm, dim glow of the desk light. Dilandau sat with his arms resting on the backrest of the chair, his head placed on his arms.  
  
"What did you have for dinner tonight?" He asked. It took her a moment to answer. "Pizza." She said softly. "Oh. You don't seem to be listening, so I'll just go..." He said. "No, I'm listening. I'm just tired." She insisted. Good! He thought, and he continued to talk to her, occasionally asking her a question. Eventually, she didn't answer, and her blue eyes were shut. He smiled to himself and watched her. He was absolutely silent, save for his breathing. He watched hers. It slowed and deepened, and he knew she was asleep. He still waited for a moment. Perfect.   
  
He took off his cloak and placed it, folded, on the chair. He also took off his boots and placed them there, too. He slowly walked to the other side of the bed, and then he sat on top of the covers next to her, silent and praying she was still asleep. The most noise she made was a little cough. She looked so at peace, all the sadness gone from her. He took off the jeweled headband and placed it on the desk beside him, putting his arm around her casually. She stirred very slightly, and he held his breath. She did not wake. She merely curved her back to fit more comfortably to the conforms of his body. He smiled, and he closed his eyes as well, not caring or even thinking what his excuse would be in the morning.  
  
Fairly early in the morning, Gabrielle opened one eye. She became suddenly aware of the warm presence next to her, and she opened the other one. She held her breath, her body tense. She could hear the other's breathing. She slowly turned onto her back. Was anyone in her quarters last night? Dilandau was... Didn't he leave? She gently turned her head a little to see. Apparently not! He shifted in his sleep, and she heard him mutter something. He resettled again. What do I do? If I move, I might wake him up... Would he be mad? She wondered. He adjusted to her movement. Unconsciously, he lifted his arm and placed his hand spread on her flat stomach. He nestled up to her, his forehead touching her temple. She lay like that for a moment. Hadn't he said they had to go on a mission?   
  
She gently tried to separate from him, but he made a little noise of disapproval and pulled her back close to him. Great. What do I do now? She asked herself, thinking rapidly. "Dilandau." She said. No answer, just a tighter grip. "Wake up." She said. He was holding her so tightly she was having a little trouble breathing. "Hey, you're hurting me." She said, and his grip immediately relaxed. He still had his arms around her, and when she tried to move, he dragged her back. She turned to face him.  
  
His eyes were closed, and his expression was soft and peaceful. He was lost somewhere in a dream far away, and she'd never seen him like that before. She half sat up, and he attempted to pull her, but he was sluggish and slow, still asleep. She pulled up the entire way and stepped off the bed. She turned around and looked at him. "Now what have you got to say for yourself?" She asked him, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. She smiled and shook her head. Maybe she wasn't so alone after all.  
  
She poked him. He reached out and caught her arm before he knew what he was doing, flipping her neatly onto the bed, and he held down her shoulders, snapping his legs down over her middle. He suddenly recognized her and paused. She blinked, looking up at him. He was ontop of her. He suddenly realized the posture. He turned absolutely red and got off of her, suppressing his wings, which wanted to burst out of his back.   
  
"Sorry, it comes from being in the military. Someone pokes you and you automatically attack them." He said, looking at the ceiling and smoothing back his hair, his blush fading fast. However, the sudden hormonal rush wasn't. He opened his mouth to speak, and then a voice over the intercom rang out.  
  
"Gabrielle, report to the Dragonslayer's meeting room for a breifing." Chesta's voice said. "Oh, and if you happen to see Dilandau, could you tell him to come too? We can't find him. Well, see you in a minute." He said, and the intercom link terminated. She looked at Dilandau, sitting across from her, fidgeting. She stood off of the bed and went to comb her hair.   
  
"You're cute when you sleep." She said, picking up the comb and smoothing out her wavy hair, which really didn't look too bad, even after sleep. The blush returned slightly to his face. "Yeah, well you're always beautiful. Cute too." He said, and she turned to face him for a second before turning back to the mirror. "Thanks." She said with a shy smile. She then picked up her cloak and put it on, slipping on her boots as well. She went into the small bathroom she had, which contained a sink and a toilet. She shut the door and washed her face and such. She came out.  
  
"I talked to the Libreia last night." He said. "You did?" She asked. "Yes. It's joined with you, so it always knows what you're thinking. It also has personality to it now, too." He said. "How do you know that?" She asked, curious. "Oh, the Oreides is joined with me, and the Libreia's information panel said it had the right chip in it." He explained. "And... What did you talk to her about?" Gabrielle asked.  
  
"Things." He said, and put on his boots. "We should go." He said, and put on his cloak as well. He checked his hair in the mirror. "I just have to stop at my quarters first, so you go ahead and tell them I'm coming. If they ask why, just tell them I'm not going anywhere without brushing my teeth, and I don't care who ordered me to." He said, and she smiled. "Will do." She replied. She stepped out the door, and headed for the rest of the Dragonslayers.  
  
While she was walking down the hall, she wondered why Dilandau hadn't just left when she'd fallen asleep. She remembered the warm feeling of him next to her, and a little flutter in her stomach accompanied the memory. She opened the door to the Dragonslayer's meeting room. They all stood in a line, and they apparently had been expecting Dilandau to walk in first, because they all saluted her.  
  
"Um, okay... I'll just go in line..." She said, and stood in line beside Gatti. Chesta spoke, "Where's Dilandau? Did you see him?" He asked. "Yeah, I saw him. I told him. He said he'll be here in a minute. He had to stop at his quarters first." She explained. "Did he tell you why?" Chesta asked. "He said he wasn't going to leave without brushing his teeth." She said, and they all rolled their eyes, except Gabrielle. "Hey, it's a hygeinic choice. I brush my teeth." She said. They were all silent. Gabrielle's stomach turned. "You mean to tell me... That none of you brush your teeth?" She asked, aghast. Migel piped up. "I do." He said, and they all looked at him. "Usually." He added. She shivered with disgust, and stood back in line. Eventually, they heard Dilandau's footsteps approaching and they all stood with a salute.  
  
He opened the door wide in an impressive entrance. "All right, everyone. Let's get down to business. Anyone steps a toe out of line, and I cut it off. Clear?" He barked, and they all nodded vigorously. "We are to fly into Fanelia. Destroy anything worth destroying on the way to the royal city. Don't harm any natural resources if you can help it. Once again, this is supposed to act as a lure. Any further details will be presented to you on the radio. Go!" He commanded. "And don't forget to turn your invisibility cloaks on!" He added, and they were all gone, running towards the docking bays. And don't let Gabrielle hate me for what we are going to do. He prayed in his mind.  
  
Gabrielle opened the Libreia and sat again in the pilot's seat. "Libreia, interal flight control, invisibility cloak activate." She commanded, and the Libreia responded. Acknowledged. And the systems hummed to life. The red dragon shivered as it broke the docking seal, and it heaved up onto the main level of the floor towards the open sky.  
  
The red mecha spread it's wings, and as soon as it was in stable flight, it turned invisible. Almost invisible. The light rays curved over the metal, concealing it from view as best as it could. They flew in formation, and all were silent, remembering what Gabrielle had said before. 


	14. Chapter 14

They were going to descend, when Gabrielle saw something on one of the monitor screens. "Wait, I see something." She announced. "What do you see?" Dilandau asked. "I'm going to go in." She said. "There's only enough time and space for one mech to go in. I'm going. Just circle and listen for me." She said boldly, and all listened for Dilandau's reply. "Affirmative." He said calmly.  
  
She swung away smoothly from the formation, honing in on the image she saw. Dragon shaped. And the colour appeared to be white as the snow tops. It was sitting in stasus posture, she knew it because the Libreia adopted the same stance when it was recharging. "Guys, it's the White Dragon!" She said into the radio.   
  
She skillfully landed the Libreia as close to the White Dragon as possible, while still maintaining the element of surprise. She exited her mecha, drawing her sword and rounding the copse of trees to get to the White Dragon. She treaded softly on the earth, making not a sound. She knew the others were landing nearby.  
  
She held the sword at the ready, stopping often to hear the slightest of sounds. She was almost up to the mech. She heard a noise behind her and whipped around. Nothing. She backed up slightly, and then the sound of something moving through the air. She turned her head upwards to see what it was, but it hit her in the back. The impact sent her to the ground, her sword bouncing off the soft earth to land point up a few feet away. It was the pilot of the white mecha! She scrambled to get to her sword, but she heard the sound of his cutting through the air to impale her in the back. She rolled onto her back just in time. He drove the sword into the earth. "Dammit!" He cursed, and she flipped back into a crouching position. Their gazes met. Her sharp blue eyes burned into his reddish brown ones.   
  
He was tall, wearing a red lace up shirt with khaki pants, and he had black hair. Some of his hair hung over one eye. "Dilandau!" She cried out. The pilot reached out to silence her. "Dilandau!" She yelled again. "I'm defenseless! Help me! Over here!" She yelled. She heard them coming in her direction. She screamed as the white mecha's pilot got his hands around her throat.   
  
She smacked the pilot in the face and attempted to scuttle towards her sword, but he caught her belt and pulled her back. He hit her heavily on the head, and she staggered under the blow and stood up groggily, still attempting to defend herself. She shook her head to clear it and she was hit again, the impact sending her to her knees. He took his sword and smacked her with the flat of his blade, and she finally whimpered and fell to the side unconscious.  
  
The boy gathered her up in his arms and dashed towards the dragon. He knew that the other members of her squadron were fast approaching with Dilandau in the lead. He opened the cockpit doors and went inside, placing her near the seat.  
  
He saw Dilandau running through the long grass, his sword withdrawn and hurtling at top speed toward him. Dilandau reached the mecha's closing doors just in time to slash at the door. He missed the pilot inside but created a shower of sparks as the metal cut into metal. It made a reverberating high pitched 'tang' noise.   
  
The dragon shivered to life and effortlessly swatted Dilandau away like an annoying insect. He skidded across the ground, creating a dust cloud. He cursed the pilot and ran forward towards as the mecha spread it's valiant wings and started to take flight. Dilandau was rushing up to it when both Migel and Chesta grabbed Dilandau, holding him back. He tried to shake them off but couldn't. He dug his heels into the ground and tried to pull forward, but they pulled him back.   
  
"Forgive us, my Lord, but the dragon will crush you if you run." Said Chesta over the noise of the pounding wings as the dragon lifted. Dilandau stopped struggling hesitantly. He hung his head slowly and gently pulled his arms from their restraint.   
  
Migel sighed. "What do we do now, my Lord?" He asked. "Now we get her back." He said darkly, and he clenched his hand in a fist. He watched the dragon disappear over the mountain, and he felt his sanity go with it, fleeing from him on swift white wings with purple membranes. A familiar deep laugh started within him, eventually coming up from the very fibres of his torn soul. The one thing that had begun to heal him was gone. He had to get it back. Until then, it was revenge for what the damned White Dragon had done to him. In return for the Dragon taking Gabrielle, all the beauty from his life, he'd take all the beauty from the Dragon's. Fanelia had to die. It had to writhe in flames, arson set by none other than... Himself.  
  
"New mission, boys. Mission perogative: Kill everything within sight that is within Fanelian borders. Guimel, 'Com the base and report Gabrielle has been captured. I will not rest until she is safe back here with me." He commanded. Safe, back within my arms. He thought, and left that unsaid. His heart had already begun to ache for her. He turned back away from that spot and ran to the Oreides, turning on the systems.  
  
All the others returned to their mechas, ready for Dilandau's direct orders. "Time to die, you inbred, under-educated country! Die in flames of hate! Die for what your precious king did to me!" He shrieked maniacally. The tone he cried out in made all of the hairs on the backs of their necks stand up. He meant business.  
  
He raised an arm of the Oreides to the sky. He aimed a liquid metal claw at an airship overhead and fired. The claw shot up hundreds of feet into the air, piercing the blimp-like structure of the ship, causing it to burst into flames and fall as the gas within acted as an accelerant and was consumed by the hungry fire. He laughed as if this was hysterically, riotously funny. "Gatti, head in the north and destroy everything that bears the Fanelia name. Anything foreign from Fanelia, leave untouched to the best of your ability. Dalet, go east. Guimel, take the south, and Migel, you take to the west. Chesta and I will go in the direction the Dragon has taken." He announced, and he shot up into the air inside the mecha, aiming for the peak of the mountain that he had last seen the White Dragon. Everything beyond that point was going to die.  
  
The mechas split into the directions, and they began immediately their bloodthirsty quest for vengeance. Soon they were all out of sight, and Dilandau could already see the smoke in the distance of a newly attacked town. He laughed again, and then moved forwards in dogged persuit of the Dragon. His sensors told him a town was just over that ridge. Perfect.  
  
The first onlookers in the doomed town saw a red shape burst over the top of the mountain, apraying snow everywhere. They cried out that the Red Avenging Angel had descended upon them to end the world. "Your town is only the first of many!" He cried. Pandemonium immediately began. Dilandau took no notice of their pain, only a hunger to numb his own. He turned violently in the mech, smashing a succession of five buildings and setting fire to more. He felt no wrong intent while doing this, only a need to stop feeling pain.  
  
He kicked in some more buildings in his anger, and then left the town, searching for more things to destroy. He set forests ablaze, and laughed as they burned. "Will your precious saviour White Dragon help you now, Fanelia? No! You shall crumble!" He shouted to nothing. He left several timed bombs behind him, and continued to track the White Dragon, destroying anything and everything that moved in his path.  
  
It seemed that all he could see was an image of that hateful boy with his dirty hands on his Gabrielle, taking her from him. His vision seemed red with his hate and pain, and he destroyed town after town, taking pleasure in the havoc he wreaked. He remained on the Dragon's path, killing and burning until the flame in his suit could burst forth no more.   
  
He stood amongst a smoldering flatlands, everything around him gone. Leveled. He stopped everything and stood silent amongst the seemingly valley of death. "We have done enough, Chesta." He said. His face was flushed, and his voice broken. "We will develop a plan to get her back. I will not cease trying until she's come back to me." He said, on the verge of breaking. Gabrielle wouldn't have liked what he'd done to all these innocent people, and in her honour. She would have looked down upon it.  
  
Chesta made sure that the base wasn't monitoring their radio lines. "I'm behind you all the way, Dilandau." He said encouragingly. "What have I done?" He asked his soul as he surveyed the wreckage. "Your orders, sir." He replied grimly with an innocent undertone.  
  
Gabrielle awoke sharply in the cockpit. The boy was flying above, and she was contained in the chest of the dragon. "Computer, where are you taking me?" She asked it. It did not reply. She cursed and looked through the bars at the outside. It was thousands of feet below. She swallowed. The boy could simply command the cage doors to open, and then she would fall to her death.  
  
As she looked at the calm countryside beneath her, she began to feel afraid. "Computer, is there anything you can tell me about anything? Where we're going or who you are?" She asked boldly. I am sorry. You are a hostage. That is all. The computer said in a masculine voice. "Hah! Nobody will pay for my return! You might as well drop me right out of the sky here. I am worth nothing, dead or alive." She spat. As you wish. The computer said, and the doors opened in front of her.  
  
She screamed as she fell through the clouds, the fear ripping through her like a rabid animal. The ground seemed to reach up for her, and then-  
  
"Ah!" She cried out. Her body jerked, and she pitched forward. She was not in the cockpit. She was on the outside of the Dragon. The boy was controlling it. She had been lashed down crudely onto the dragon's back by the saddle apparatus. She was facing up into the sky. It was now night. The stars above her glittered in the deep black of the night. Her planet, the 'Mystic Moon,' was out of her vision. She could not see it. She had been ripped away from what she'd just grown to know.  
  
What is to become of me now? She wondered tearfully. I am going to die, more than likely. The squad won't follow me forever, and since the White Dragon is as good at evading them as he is, they'll never catch me. She gazed at the stars. Dilandau will even give up on me. As will Gatti, my only friend here. Chesta, Guimel, Dalet... They'll all turn away from me. The most painful being Dilandau will. I was just beginning to... It doesn't matter anymore. None of it does. All hope is lost. I'll die here, a prisoner of a war that isn't my own, on a planet that isn't even my own. So far away from home...  
  
"I see you're awake." Said the pilot, gently steering the dragon through the air. She said nothing, cold as stone. "My name's Vaughn. What's yours?" He asked, turning his head to look. Her gaze could have turned hot glowing lava to a frozen river of ice in a matter of seconds. "Fox." She replied.   
  
"So, you're the one who pilots the Red Dragon," He said casually. She was silent. "Yes." She replied finally. "Heard you came from the Mystic Moon." He said. "Did you?" He looked her square in the eye. She gave him a truthful, icy stare. "You did..." He said to himself, struck with awe. "Angels seem to be raining down this year." He said, and she only looked away from him, her cheek touching the cold metal of the dragon's back.   
  
"It's not long until we get to the place." He said, and she didn't care. She didn't care if she rotted away here, tied to the dragon's back. She longed for Dilandau, and it surprised her that she did. She hadn't been sure if he had really liked her, or if he had only been with her because he was lonely. He was strong... And such a commander... She hadn't realized she'd shared an affection to him. Not until now. Now, when she longed to be in his arms for comfort.  
  
She closed her eyes and prayed that she'd wake up, and she'd be in her quarters again. She was frightened of this 'Vaughn' character. He seemed familiar, like Dilandau had when she'd first come to this world. She was so cold on the dragon's back. She couldn't move, and the metal she was tied to chilled her clean through to the bones.  
  
After a few hours of flying, Vaughn eventually brought the dragon into descent. The dragon flared it's wings as it landed, and she tried to tune out the speech, but she couldn't. Vaughn was talking to somebody named 'Allen,' and Allen was talking to Vaughn about what had happened. Vaughn explained that he had a hostage, and Gabrielle practically hissed. How dare they select her as a hostage!  
  
"Well, well. What have we here?" Asked a tall man with long, blonde hair. He stepped over her, on the dragons back, and peered at her. She said nothing. "She says her name is 'Fox.'" Vaughn explained as he untied some of the ropes beneath her. "And so it should be!" Allen exclaimed, and Gabrielle just looked away from them.  
  
"Ban-Sama!" A high pitched, very annoying voice called. It almost made Gabrielle's hair stand on end. "Ban-Sama!" The thing called again, and she felt the knot loosen underneath her. Allen offered her a hand. She neglected it, standing on her own instead. Allen smiled a half smile. "Feisty. I like that." He said, and it made her stomach crawl. He was very handsome indeed, but he was much older than her! She was only fifteen, and yet this man appeared to be twenty or so. She slid off the dragon and stood alone, completely silent.   
  
Then, she was poked. "Ban-Sama! You have one of those scary soldiers here!" A thing said. She said nothing, just stared blankly ahead. It poked her again. "It's a girl!" It exclaimed. "She's weird!" It said. Gabrielle said nothing, but she could feel the rage inside. She glanced at the thing.  
  
It was about five feet, two inches tall. It had pink hair, and a humanoid face. The eyes were green, and the flesh was very tan. It appeared to be covered in fur. It also appeared to be female. There were spiky stripes on her face, arms, and legs. She was in an orange shapeless dress that had leopard spots on the bottom right corner of it. She had poofs of white... fur? On her shoulders, wrists and ankles. She wore sandals. She also had a long, striped tail with another white tuft of fur at the end. Her ears were long and pointed, and they constantly moved, just like a cat's, though this... girl's ears were situated on the side of her head, not on the top where a normal cat's ears would be. She poked Gabrielle again.  
  
"Merle, stop poking the girl. She might hurt you." Vaughn said. "I don't think so. She's dead in the head!" 'Merle' laughed. "Wanna bet?" Gabrielle snarled, and Merle backed off, frightened. "Ban-Sama! The soldier person girl thing! She scared me!" She said, hiding behind Allen, but poking her head out to look more at this curious oddity, being Gabrielle.  
  
"Vaughn, where do you plan on keeping Fox on my ship? All the rooms are taken." Allen said, looking at Gabrielle. She looked away, but secretly made a face of disgust. The man was trying to be charming! "Sickbay." Vaughn replied, inspecting the slash mark Dilandau's sword had made. "No, there's already two people there." Allen replied seriously.   
  
Oh, please don't tell me I have to sleep in the same room as this Allen man. By the looks of it, I'm going to have to beat him off with a stick. If I have to get stuck in the same room as any of these, I hope I get stuck with Vaughn. He won't do anything. Not Merle. She's creepy and childish, and I'd probably have a hole in my back by morning from where she'd be poking me all night. She thought avidly. She began inspecting the ship around her for weaknesses.   
  
It was an airship, and she couldn't see exactly how it operated yet, but she saw the massive fishtail-like rudder fin that helped steer the ship in the air. It seemed to be primarily made of wood and metal. There were guards posted, however, so she couldn't get out of here without making a lot of noise. Unless... She could manage to sneak by the guards... But that was nearly impossible.  
  
She had long since filtered out the speech going on about her, even managed to filter out Merle's voice. So, she was surprised when she was tapped on the shoulder. "Fox," Said Vaughn. She snapped her head around. "... You can be stuck in the brig, or sleep in either mine or Allen's room. He is a Knight of Asturia, so don't try anything. I'm the King of Fanelia, and I know how to use a sword. If you don't want to stay there, then as I said before, you can stay in the jail." He said, but he couldn't help looking at her when he said this. All of her. He did it casually, so she didn't notice. She was nice looking.  
  
"Well?" Asked Allen, and Gabrielle walked to stand behind Vaughn in a quiet formal pose. She had an expressionless face that she'd learned to emulate well from Dilandau. But, behind the lack of expression, there was a quick and sharp mind, calculating the best escape routes and how she could pull it off with the least amount of hassle. She did not give this away by showing quick movements of her eyes as she studied the ship. She barely moved them, pretending instead to occasionally focus on one of the faces staring at her, when in reality she was looking at the background.  
  
"Don't even think about escaping. You'll remain right here. Allen will extract information from you tomorrow, so I suggest you just relax." Vaughn said flatly. Merle made a face at Gabrielle. She blinked sadly and looked the other way. Merle stopped making the face.   
  
Vaughn began to walk into the cabin section, and she followed him, aware that the cat-girl was also following, trying and failing miserably to be stealthy. Vaughn opened a door, and he stood back for her to enter first. She paused cautiously, and looked at him with a flicker of suspicion. She looked inside the room. It was completely normal, so she stepped inside.  
  
He entered after. She walked to the corner of the room and sat down on the hardwood floor, facing the wall. She leaned her head on the wall and sighed, closing her eyes. She heard Vaughn walk over and sit on the bed, and she could feel his subdued curious eyes on her.  
  
"So. You really do come from the Mystic Moon." He said. She looked over slightly to the side, tilting her head slightly to show that she was listening. "I can tell that you've been there, at least. But there's something about you that makes me think you were born here. That doesn't make sense, does it?" He asked. She didn't answer, only shifted her weight slightly so that she didn't get pins and needles in her leg.  
  
"You might as well just tell us everything you know about the inner workings of Zaibach." He said, and in her mind she laughed bitterly. Why? She thought. "Allen knows more about torture than anyone. He can inflict more pain on you than you could ever imagine." He continued. God, what a tired old cliché. She responded in her mind. "Then, when he's done with you, I'll leave you to him." He said. In what context does he mean by that? She wondered.  
  
"First, if you don't answer by mere suggestion, we starve you of food and water. Then, we will cut you slowly. If that doesn't work, we resort to heavier means of torture. We could cut off your achilles tendon and watch you flop around like a fish." He suggested. She was just as silent as ever. I won't tell anything. I won't disappoint Dilandau. I won't betray him, no matter how much these barbarians hurt me. The most they'll get from me is a dying scream. She thought, determined. "We have so many ways we can break you." He continued. Does he ever shut up about how much he's going to hurt me?  
  
"Oh, come on. You must understand at least some of our language." He said, and she wanted to kill him. "I understand absolutely crystalline what you are saying. It takes more than threats to break me. You won't get a word out of me. I am one of the Dragonslayers, my codename is Fox. You can torture me as much as you want. I will not speak. In fact, I challenge you to try, you barbarian. Dilandau will come for me." She growled at him, and resumed her silence. I hope. 


	15. Chapter 15 Problem with identical ch 13...

Dilandau paced back and forth back at the base. There was a knock at the door, and Dilandau picked up one of the four empty wine bottles. Even the red wine couldn't numb his pain. He flipped the bottle over and over with one hand as he stood still. "Come in." He snapped.  
  
Chesta softly stepped in, bowing deeply. "What!?" Dilandau practically screeched. The anger was practically consuming him. He felt like acid was sitting inside him, eating him up. "S-sir. We cannot t-track the White Dragon, S-sir. No news of her." He stammered. "You think I don't know that already!? My Gabrielle is gone, and that son of a bitch took her from me! God dammit! Leave me alone! I know I can't track the dragon until we get new sightings! Speaking of sightings, get out of mine! Now!" He yelled, and hurled the wine bottle straight at Chesta. Chesta shut the door just as the bottle smashed into pieces.  
  
He was sleepless. What had those barbarians done to her? That filthy Fanelian piece of garbage! He thought over and over how he would kill that pilot. Slice off that boy's wings, run him through with the sword. Maybe I'll rip out his heart so fast he doesn't realize it and make him watch it beat it's last few times before he dies. Maybe I'll cut off his white wings and have them plucked and roasted and make him eat them. Maybe I'll just cut off his head. How dare he... He'll pay for this dearly. If he's done anything to Gabrielle... I'll do something so bad... So bad... So bad I haven't even thought of it yet.  
  
Then, he curled up into a ball on his chair and hated the boy some more. He then began to hate the fact he'd never told Gabrielle how he felt... Hated the fact he had so many chances but had never been able to put them into words. Now he felt he could put them all into three. He rested his forehead on his knees. Three, and he'd never realized before that he felt that way. But he knew now. She was right. The Libreia was right. He did just 'know.' He felt it inside him. The fact that her presence was gone hurt him. He couldn't just go down to her quarters and see her there, drawing, perhaps singing. He worried about where she was, and what they were going to do to her. They'd kill her, wouldn't they? Or torture her?  
  
He wanted her here, safe. He felt a certain emptiness inside, and he knew that only she could complete him. He felt so alone and broken, so lost and dead to everyone else. He could almost hear her voice, asking him what was wrong. He could almost hear her laughing, or singing, or talking with a cheerful tone. He could just about feel her there with him, her soft touch and her wavy hair. He opened his eyes, and she was standing there.  
  
There she was, and she had her arms open to him. She was smiling, happy at the sight of him. "Dilandau! It's you!" She exclaimed happily. Before he even knew it, he was up out of the chair, and he reached for her. She vanished. She was right there. Right there. He grasped the air where she had stood only a second before. Nothing but air. It was only his broken mind playing tricks on him again, like it constantly had done before she had come into his life.  
  
The despair washed over him like a massive wave, crushing everything. His vision grew blurry and watery, and he knelt down to the ground. She wasn't there. He could still hear the echoes of her voice, still feel the warmth of her flesh. Gone. His shoulders shook in a spasmic sob, and he held his head in his cold hands. All alone in the torture of night.  
  
Vaughn had long ago left the room, and she had just about fallen sleep, sitting cross-legged with her head leaning against the wall. She was at that stage where she was not dreaming, but she could see images on the backs of her eyelids. She was poked. She drew in a sharp breath of surprise, and was completely awake.  
  
"Did I scare you, lady? You look sad, lady." Said a childish, high pitched voice. Indeed, Gabrielle did look sad. She could not deny that. "Why don't you talk, lady? You can talk to me, lady. I won't say anything to those naughty boys outside!" Merle said and giggled. Gabrielle smiled very softly. Perhaps she could make a friend with this cat-girl.  
  
"Ban-Sama still has your sword," Merle said. "Ban-Sama isn't married." She said irrelevantly. Merle's mind tended to wander often to different subjects. "Allen says that you're pretty. He says that 'No doubtedly, that squadron leader will come after her, Vaughn. You have to keep her under special watch.' I listen to them, lady." She said, and when she said what Allen had, she lowered her voice and puffed out her chest, trying to act like Allen. Gabrielle couldn't help but smile. Her thoughts turned back to the fact that she was scared and alone, and her smile vanished. "You should smile, lady." Merle said.  
  
Merle sat back and cocked her head to one side. "You sleep here tonight, lady?" She asked. "Please, my name is Fox. And yes, I am sleeping here for as long as I'm useful to Vaughn. Then I suppose he'll dispose of me." She said hollowly. "That's not your real name. I can tell." Merle said with childish reason. "Onamae wa?" She asked in rapid Japanese. Gabrielle looked up and met her gaze. "Don't tell them my real name, okay?" She asked the cat-girl. "I promise," She said. "My name is Gabrielle." She said. Merle studied her for a few moments. "I like you." She said, and she got up. "Byebye. I'll talk to you later." She said, and left, closing the door.  
  
Merle scampered out into the night on the ship, when she almost skipped along right into Allen. He looked down at the little pink-haired cat-girl. "What did she say, Merle?" He asked from his tall height, his long, straight, shining blonde hair falling about his shoulders almost like a river of gold. "Nothing. She didn't talk to me." She lied with a straight face, her sharp green cat-like eyes burning into his starkly blue ones. Allen knelt down and took one of the little girl's hands. "Merle, you know I don't like it when you lie." He said. Merle scoffed at him. "Why would I lie to you? She didn't say anything." She said, her nose upturned to him. Allen smiled and shook his head and walked off, his back turned to Merle, who was making faces at him as he walked towards the door in which Gabrielle was contained.  
  
She had curled up against the wall and was silent, her mind as black and empty as the dark expanse of night all around the ship. Allen walked in, and she didn't even seem to notice, although she was completely aware of his presence. Allen sat down at the desk in Vaugn's room, looking at her as she stared blankly at the floorboards.  
  
"Speak. What is your name? Where were you going with the rest of your squad in Fanelian territory?" Allen asked in a commanding voice. Gabrielle stayed just as silent as a softly coloured stone sitting on a table. Allen waited a moment. "Answer me!" He commanded, and she still said nothing.  
  
"You are unwise to refuse to talk." He said, and leaned back in the chair. While still staring at the floor, her words formulated slowly in her mouth as she spoke them.   
  
"I take commands only from my squadron leader. I am not about to answer you, and I will die in your attempts to extract information from me before I utter a single syllable." She said, and slowly, she turned her head to let her blue eyes gaze in his with the most fiery emotion she could accurately display. If looks could kill, he would have fallen over dead. "Not exactly the most reasonable of types, are we?" he asked. "I don't know about you, but I know I'm not." She spat, and returned to staring at the wall.  
  
"You enjoy your sleep while you can. I'll be back here in the morning." He assured her coldly. "I hate to inflict pain upon such a beauteous creature such as yourself, but, if I must..." He said, and stood up. "Bring it." She said sharply, staring evilly at him. He walked out of the room.  
  
She leaned against the wall and prayed that the rest of the Dragonslayers and Dilandau would try to get her out of here. She eventually drifted off into that state where sounds seem unusually loud and images play about on the backs of eyelids, but are not dreams.   
  
One image seemed to continually return to Gabrielle. It was one of Dilandau, of course. He was holding his sword and he had his beautiful ebony wings spread, the light playing about on the black feathers, making some look blue. He would smile warmly at her and offer his hand. She longed to take his hand and disappear with him, but she felt as if she couldn't move. Of course, it was only because he really wasn't there, and she was really asleep.   
  
A while after she had fallen sound asleep, her body slumped gently against the wall, curled in the corner, Vaughn walked into the room. He ran a gloved hand through his spiky black hair and sighed. He felt sorry for this girl for some reason. Perhaps it was just that; Fox, she was a pretty girl. Hitomi should meet this girl. He thought. Hitomi could tell about this girl using her tarot cards.  
  
He washed his face and took off his shirt, lying on the cot that served as a bed. He gazed at her as the candlelight flickered. She twitched gently in her sleep, a slow expression of fear taking over her features, but she stayed asleep. He watched her with half-closed eyes for a while. She began to cry in her sleep. She murmered a word in her sleep, but didn't wake. She said the word again, and he recognized it as a name. He couldn't make it out clearly, though. She eventually fell silent again, and Vaughn drifted off to sleep.  
  
Dilandau couldn't sleep. He stared blankly at the wall. He tried to sleep, but he was so innerly awake that he seemed to have a continual flow of adrenaline in his system. That was the way it always used to be, except he usually could sleep. He had just not been used to this insane feeling of strength and the will to kill ever since she had been here. He'd been worrying about Gabrielle ever since she'd been gone.  
  
He eventually got up off his chair and walked out of the hallway, searching for a way to vent his frustration and anxiety. He walked down a long hallway, hating that it was still night. He wanted to get out of here, go track her before her trail went cold.  
  
The images of that cursed White Dragon flying away from him made him angry. The Libreia, standing motionless, empty. The Libreia. It had to be carried back by the Dragonslayers. He remembered vaguely giving the order to the others. If he could talk to the Libreia, maybe it- she would know where Gabrielle was.  
  
He practically flew to the hangar and was there before he even really realized it. He silently walked into the dead quiet room full of mechas, and went searching in the dark. He came across his squad's row and walked down it, looking for the Libreia.  
  
He came across her. 'She' was in stasus, charging as usual. He touched her pointed beak-like nose. Her heat sensors indicated something was there. Her eye shutters swiveled as they opened in a circular manner, and the red eyes focused forward on him. The eyes glowed their beautiful ruby red as the systems came online. She was just like a human waking up from sleep.  
  
Yes, Commander Dilandau? She said, her voice lowered to adjust to the quietness around them. "Libreia, I need to know whether you are capable of tracking Gabrielle." He said. In what means? She asked. "Location. I need to know where she is, and if she's still alive." He said. The Libreia raised her head slightly. She is alive. She is asleep right now. She doesn't know where she is.She is very scared, but she doesn't show it to her captors. Only shows silence. She won't speak, no matter how much they hurt her. She won't speak for fear of disappointing you. The Libreia was silent for a moment, and her red eyes dimmed slightly with the effort. She cries out for you in her dreams. She said finally, and her eyes returned to their normal brightness. I can track her. She said.  
  
"Where is she, Libreia?" He asked, almost begging. One moment, please. Tracking in progress... And the mecha was silent. Dilandau waited, still touching the tip of the Libreia's sharp beak. She is on an airship, model number Z-128, Asturian in origin. She is in the cabins on the second level, sleeping in the top right corner of room 28. Ship is anchored. Co-ordinates sector 130, division 10. Stationary on a mountain peak. She said. Dilandau calculated where that was on the world map he'd memorized. "God, that's far..." He said to himself. Yes it is. The Libreia added.  
  
"Did they hurt her?" He asked. No. Libreia responded. She is having a nightmare. The Libreia said flatly. She has stopped crying in her sleep. She added. "Can you tell what she is dreaming about?" He asked. Not in detail. Just that she was having a nightmare. She said. Most likely she was dreaming you wouldn't come for her. She said. "I will. I won't rest until she is back." That's stupid. You need sleep. Take drugs if you can't sleep. You can't be a walking zombie if you're going to rescue her. She said. Dilandau felt frustrated. He knew exactly where she was, yet he couldn't go to her. "I can't sleep, and I won't take drugs." He said stubbornly, his arms crossed.  
  
The Libreia lifted one of her massive talon-like three digit hands and tapped him on the head. Her blow was so incredibly weak by her standards, but she had calculated it so that it would be just hard enough. Dilandau's arms uncrossed limply, his eyes rolled up in his head, he swayed gently for a moment, and then he fell over. Her curved metal claw was there to catch him. She lay him down on the ground gently, put him on his side, and pushed him so that he would be comfortable. Sleep well, commander. You have a busy day tomorrow. She said, and returned to stasus. Although the only onlooker was a small mouse, it would have sworn, had it been able to talk, that the massive red metal dragon seemed to be smiling.  
  
Early in the morning, Allen woke Gabrielle. He brought her food, but she didn't touch it, and only drank from the vial of water he'd brought her. She was ravenously hungry, but she dare not eat whatever these foods were. They might be laced with poison. She watched him warily.  
  
She put down the empty vial, and stared at him hollowly. "Please, just tell us what we want to know, and I won't hurt you." Allen finally said, and at the sound of his voice, Gabrielle almost startled. She stayed silent. Allen sighed. "Please, come on, my Pretty Flower." He said persuasively charming. She was immune to him. "I am not yours." She said icily. "And I will never be." "All right, then. Tell me, who your leader is or I will be forced to hurt you." He said. She said nothing. He shook his head, and slapped her across the face.  
  
"It will take more than that." She spat. "Fine." He said darkly. "I can do more. You will not eat until you speak." He said. "I can deal with that." She said. "I'll be dead soon anyways. You'll end up killing me before I say anything, and my squad won't come for me. I'll just sit here and die." She said stiffly. He withdrew a small knife and slashed her shoulder. A line appeared on her skin through the cut fabric, and then it grew wider and red as she began to bleed. She withstood the sting easily, staring him in the eye. He cut her again, and she still did nothing more than breathe in a little deeper when he cut her.  
  
"So, you have someone back at that base?" Allen asked slyly. "What kind of a question is that!?" She retorted. "I ask questions around here, you!" He barked, and reluctantly cut her again. She had three horizontal marks on her shoulder, all of which were bleeding a lot. "Come on, answer! It's not a hard question." He said. He held up the knife again, which now had her blood dripping from it. "I don't understand why you want to know this." She said flatly.  
  
"Because I want to know. There's no way you can't have someone. I'll bet you want to see them again, don't you?" He asked, almost soothingly. "That's no business of yours." She growled. He held the knife underneath her throat, right by her jugular, and she felt the sharp knifepoint driving into her. She could feel the knife moving slightly with the pulsing of her blood flow.  
  
"You won't kill me now." She said with a tired smile. "You haven't got anything out of me yet. It would be stupid to kill me." She hissed. Allen knew she was right. "You'll never see the one you love back there." He said. "I've come to terms with that. Let's not go there." She growled. He noticed she had tears in her eyes. "I'll let you go if you tell me what we want to know. I'll tell Zaibach we have you and we'll leave you somewhere easy for them to find. Then you can return to whoever it is." He said to her, trying to get her to talk. "He wouldn't want me if I betrayed him." She said back, her blue eyes sad with despair.   
  
"Who is it? Let's see... You were with that group... Hmm... The one named Chesta, perhaps? How about Dalet? Is that him?" He asked, poking her with the knife. She said nothing, her eyes glassy as she tried to ignore him. "No? How about Guimel? ... No, eh? Migel? Gatti? Which one?" He insisted, and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She fought back her tears. She'd never see any of them again. The only people she knew here, and she'd never see them. "Hah! You don't mean to tell me you have affections for that maniacal tyrant? That pathetic excuse for a leader!?" He said, with an evil grin on his face. She snapped her gaze back to his, and the firey anger burned.  
  
"Never, ever insult Dilandau like that, you honourless coward! How dare you!" She screeched, and she smacked him as hard as she could. It left a red hand print on his face. "Hah!" He laughed bitterly. "That ... Thing could never feel emotions. He's simply programmed to kill. You love him, and you will forever love alone." He said, and she fought back her tears harder. She wouldn't cry in front of this man. "It doesn't matter anyways. You'll never see him again, because once I have what I want out of you, I'll kill you." He said. "Too bad for you, pretty thing. You will eventually break." He told her.  
  
"Allen, give it a rest." Vaughn said. Allen hadn't realized Vaughn was in the room. "Just leave her alone for now." He said firmly. Allen shot Vaughn a glance, but he complied and left. Once he had gone, Gabrielle cried. She was bleeding still, and the pain mixed with the knowledge that she was going to die here made her cry. She didn't seem to notice Vaughn was still there.  
  
"Hey," He said softly. "Don't cry." He said, and she looked up at him. She shrank away from him, sure that he was going to hurt her, too. "Please stop crying." He asked of her again. "You need to clean your wounds, or they'll get infected." He said. Vaughn recognized the name Fox had been crying out. Dilandau. He remembered. He went and got a wet cloth and a dry one and returned to her. He flipped out a knife, and she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the stinging cut. He only cut off the blood-soaked arms of her uniform, putting them aside. He put the blade back in the knife, and put it back away on his belt. He took the wet cloth and wiped her cut shoulders.  
  
She winced at the touch, but the cold water felt good. He then took one of the dry cloths and bandaged up her shoulder. He cleaned the other one, and did the same. "Thank you." She said quietly.  
  
"Yeah. There's someone I want you to meet." He said, and he beckoned for her to stand up. She did so shakily, and stood behind him. She shivered from the cold of the mountain outside.  
  
"Hitomi!" Vaughn called. "Coming!" Replied a female voice. A few moments later, a girl with short brown hair, and wearing a Japanese sailor-type school uniform came up to them. "Yes?" She asked. "This is the soldier we caught yesterday," Vaughn said, and the girl named Hitomi looked at Gabrielle. Gabrielle looked away shyly and sadly. "I see. Hello." Hitomi said. "She doesn't talk much." Vaughn explained. "She's the pilot of the Red Dragon you found out about. I need you to do a reading for her." He explained to Hitomi, and she nodded. "Okay. What's her name?" Hitomi asked. "Fo-" Gabrielle cut him off. "Gabrielle. My name is Gabrielle." She said.  
  
"That's a nice name," Hitomi said in a friendly tone. "She's a member of Zaibach's forces?" Hitomi asked Vaughn. "Yes, she is. I've heard rumours that another girl fell from the sky and Zaibach captured her. I think this is her." He said, and Hitomi looked surprised and curious. "I did." Gabrielle said.  
  
"Well, my cards are back in my room. Come with me and I'll do the reading." She said, and she turned and began to walk. Gabrielle followed behind Vaughn. hey came up to small room just a moment later and Hitomi opened the door. They walked in, and Hitomi motioned to chairs nearby a table. She pulled out a pack of Tarot cards and prepared them.  
  
Gabrielle was very silent and she curled up as small as she could while she was sitting in the chair. Hitomi dealt the cards and read and interpreted them in near silence, sometimes whispering the names of the cards and trying to figure out their possible meanings.  
  
"She does come from the Mystic Moon like I do, and yet she does not. It says here in the cards that she was not born on the Mystic Moon. She-" Hitomi was cut off. Her eyes glazed over, and she had a vision.  
  
She was standing on a lush green field, and the clouds above her were swirling around and changing colours. She looked up, and there was a figure in the blinding light. At first she thought it was Vaughn because he had wings, but as the figure drew closer, she saw it was not. He landed, flaring his black wings as he spilled the air from them. He seemed not to be able to see her. She turned, and there was a sudden shift in scenes.   
  
Against a pure black, there were Gabrielle and that black-winged boy that she'd seen just a moment before. He was being held back by dark figures whispering to him, and on his side there were flames. He looked hesitant and confused. Gabrielle was standing gracefully on the other side, and she had shining glossy white wings. Gabrielle was held in light, and she had her arm extended to the boy across from her. She sensed their fear and longing as if it were her own. All of a sudden, the tall boy managed to break free and run towards Gabrielle, and he had just about reached her when a white dragon burst in from nowhere and picked up Gabrielle, flying away with her in it's clutches. The dragon was not mechanized, it was real, with all it's rippling muscles and dragon splendour.   
  
The tall boy called after her in a silent scream, but was left standing alone. The light that had been on Gabrielle's side disappeared, even as he desperately tried to chase it. The flames and darkness closed about him, and Hitomi felt the boy's overpowering sense of defeat, failure and fear. Also, his unstoppable hatred for the white dragon and his determination to get Gabrielle back at any cost.  
  
She snapped back to reality, and back to Vaughn and Gabrielle's concerned faces. "I- I just had a vision. That's all." She said. "A-as I was saying. You'll meet someone who can tell you everything that happened. There was some major memory loss involved, between both you and... Someone else. It wasn't natural memory loss, of course. Someone made it happen. Gabrielle, you need to get back. Vaughn, we have to let her go." Hitomi said, almost in a panicked voice.  
  
"We can't. The Zaibach forces will only corrupt and hurt her more." Vaughn replied. "Vaughn, the Red Dragon must be set free. It says so in the cards." She said, in defense. "Exactly. Set free. Giving her back to the Zaibach forces is not setting her free." He said. "Please, Vaughn. We have to let her go. It's important. Please, give her back to that boy. It's the only thing he wants, and he'll stop at nothing to get her back, even if it kills himself in the process." She said. "What boy?" Vaughn asked, and Hitomi was just about to describe the boy in her visions when Allen knocked at the door.  
  
"Vaughn! The Zaibach forces are on the move. Towards the Royal City!" He said, and Vaughn stood up immediately, and was gone with Allen, leaving Gabrielle and Hitomi standing there.  
  
"Gabrielle, you have to get back to that boy." She said. "What does he look like?" Gabrielle asked, sure that she already knew. "Tall, slim, pale, silver hair, I think." Hitomi replied. "Dilandau!" Gabrielle exclaimed. "You have to get back to him as soon as you can. He'll die if you don't." She said. "What do you mean, 'he'll die if I don't?'" Gabrielle asked, shocked. "He won't stop trying to get you back, even if it kills him. And it will eventually, because he'll do it without any rest, and eventually, Vaughn or Allen will catch and kill him. Unless, of course, you get back to him in time." Hitomi explained.  
  
And so it went for days. Vaughn refused to let Gabrielle go, and Allen kept trying to question her, each time inflicting more pain upon her. He did it in vain, because Gabrielle kept her strong silence. Dilandau doggedly followed them, destroying everything in his path, and constantly staying one step behind. Gabrielle did not eat. She only drank water, and only if anyone else but Allen brought it. Gabrielle lost weight, but still, she did not eat.   
  
Eventually, Vaughn force-fed her, as he could see there was no other way to get her to eat. She struggled weakly, but eventually she did eat, under his watchful eye. She wasn't anorexic, so she didn't purge the food from her system, but she still refused to eat unless she was force-fed. Gabrielle overheard Vaughn and Allen talking in another room late one night.  
  
"Alright. I think we've tired him out enough. He almost didn't make it last time. I say we bring Gabrielle as bait, and then we kill Dilandau." She recognized Allen's voice. "I still don't think this is right. All he wants is Gabrielle back. Damn, he's said it enough times to us, and he hasn't attacked us unless we attacked him first. The readings did say that she should be given back." Vaughn said, the voice of reason. "Vaughn, we want this war to end. He's a key officer. He has to be eliminated." Allen said gruffly. "This is war." He added. "Fine. We bring Gabrielle." Vaughn sighed. 


End file.
